Past the Limits
by Xandoria DuUrden
Summary: Tracer and Lucio are some of the most upbeat members of OVerwatch, but even they have their limits. 3rd of Overwatch stories
1. Dispatch

Tracer sighed heavily at Reaper's answer, completely untrusting of him. She contacted Soldier again: she wasn't sure where he was, but she needed answers. She had tried to follow orders before: they ended with her family getting disbanded and hunted down by the very people Soldier was trying to get her to trust again. "Soldier 76."

"Soldier, why are we trusting them? They work for Talon."

"Worked. I really don't have time for this, Lena."

"Well, I can't trust someone like the without good reasoning as to why!" The comms were cut off, and Lena sighed in annoyance. "No one ever tells me anything…"

"That's because you talk too loud and too often, mon Chere." Lena jumped at the sound, turning to see Widowmaker in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe.

"When'd you get here?!"

"3 hours ago. Soldier and Reaper being secretive again?"

"…yes?" Lena stated slowly, not liking the fact a mass murderer was in the same room as her.

"You shouldn't trust people. Their motives are always hidden, especially Soldier's." Widowmaker walked away at that, and Lena blinked a few times, then raced up to Widow.

"What does that mean?" Widow gave a small smile, but no reply. "Widow, if we're supposed to work together, I need to know!"

"I have no interest in working with a foolish girl. I am here to kill Talon: that is it."

"…So this is just another mission to you. Don't you feel anything?"

"Non. That's the point." Lena paused at the blunt answer. "I am heading to Australia." The woman continued heading to the docking bay. *Wonder why she's heading over there, but even if I asked her, she wouldn't answer me.* She continued walking with the woman.

"…Why did you kill Mondatta? You just laughed."

"He was a target that I neutralized. You thought it was personal."

"It was to me." Lena retorted. Widow paused.

"…I wonder what lengths you would go to."

"To do what?" Widow smiled, but didn't reply, walking away. Lena growled. *That woman drives me crazy! What's her problem?* She ran back into the communications room.

"Soldier, what's your status?"

"Torbjorn said no."

"What? He completely supports Overwatch!"

"I do have someone else who joined."

"Really? Who?"

"It's a Bastion."

"…A Bastion joined, but Torbjorn said no? What was a Bastion doing close by Torbjorn?!"

"I have no idea. Has Reaper made contact?"

"Yes. He said he located McCree. He also said we not trusting him, and that we're just letting him destroy Talon."

"He's not wrong. I'm not trusting him ever again."

"Then why are we working with him?"

"Both him and Widow have valuable information about Talon. In exchange of materials and support, they'll tell us everything they know. As long as they get to destroy Talon, they're going to work with us."

"And when Talon is gone?"

"We'll deal with that when we get there. I'm going silent: the police are coming." The comms fizzled, and Lena frowned. *Not only did Torbjorn say no, he called the police? There's something they aren't telling us.* She shook her head, trying to focus: coordinating 4 recruiters was exhausting. Ana was still off the radar, and Reinhardt was heading back from Numbani now, with no one. She leaned back, waiting for some kind of communication from Reaper in worry. *If McCree pulls a gun on him, things are going to go badly. If Reaper pulls a gun on McCree, he's going to get shot in the skull. Oh, I hope he says yes. I miss everyone a lot, and I want my friends to be a family again.* She waited for 10, then 20. Nothing came, she started spinning a pencil as she wrote everything she knew about what was going on down.

*Me, Winston, Ana, Reinhardt, and Bridgette recalled Overwatch 5 years ago. A woman named Mei-Ling Zhou joined soon after with a woman named Zarya and Dr. Angela Zeigler. Soldier joined 3 years ago, and told us he was Jack Morrison. It wasn't too weird, considering everyone had thought Ana was dead. Then 3 months ago, things got weird. Soldier ran off somewhere, and when he came back, he seemed different. Then 2 weeks ago, Widow and Reaper showed up, and Soldier just accepted them in without any questions. It's only weird because he's always insisted we can't trust anyone from Talon, but he just accepts them in…Anyways, it turns out that Reaper is Commander Reyes, which wouldn't be odd if Angela didn't interact with him the way she does. He seems to hate her while she seems to pity him. Then there's that woman: completely remorseless, unfeeling. A living weapon. No one likes her, not even Reaper, her own teammate.*

"Reaper here." Lena jumped up so quickly, she fell out of the chair.

"Woah! Ow…Oxten. What's happening?" She stated, quickly picking herself up and reattaching the headset to her head, thankful no one saw her.

"I have McCree. We're heading back."

"Howdy, Lena. You sit up too quickly?" She chuckled in embarrassment. *Of course McCree knows what happened.*

"Just a little bit. I'm fine though!"

"Good to hear, McFly." Lena snorted.

"Shut up."

"Yeah, yeah, Reyes. McCree out."

"Reaper out."

"Oxten over and out." She sighed in relief. *Maybe McCree will shed some light on what is going on…I'm going to get answers somehow, even if I have to pester both Soldier and Reaper to do so.*

"Reinhardt here!" Lena winced. The older man still couldn't control his volume very well, if he even was trying.

"How are you, luv?"

"I am fine! Did you know there is a concert with Lucio here?! You can hear it everywhere!"

"No, I didn't. Are you enjoying it?" She heard a pause, and chuckled silently. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was a big fan of both Lucio and .

"It is fine!" Lena laughed.

"You can say you like his music, luv! I haven't met anyone who doesn't."

"…Fine! I do enjoy his music and his attitude!" There was suddenly screaming over the comms.

"Reinhardt, what's happening?"

"There is an attack! I will report back once I handle this!"

"Alright, be careful!" *Who'd attack Numbani?*


	2. Sacrifices

Lucio was jamming out at his Numbani visit on his 10th tour. He hadn't expected people to enjoy his music this much, and loved the concept he was helping them in any way he could. After the concert reached the half-way point, he went backstage to make a call. It went right to voicemail. *Probably wasn't able to charge it again.* "Hey, Locarno. It's me again. You still haven't called me back…I get it after what I did, but I still stand by what I said. Just…please call me. I don't know if I can take much more of the silent treatment…love you, bye." He hung up, rubbing his forehead.

"Hey, Lucio? You need to head back to the stage in 3."

"I'll be back in 1, Antione." He smiled lightly. He was back in less than a minute, entering the crowd to talk to his fans. He recognized a lot of them, but one stood out to him: a horse-like Omnic and a teenager riding it. *Is that Efi Oladele? I haven't seen her in years.* "Yo, Efi!"

"Hello! I told you that you would meet Orisa someday!" The Omnic smiled.

"Hello, Lucio. It is nice to meet you in person. Efi has told me much about you."

"She told me about you too, Orisa. I've heard a lot about how you've helped people out in Numbani. That's exactly what I want to do with my music."

"You're what inspired me to do it!" Orisa nodded in agreement.

"Well, I hope you keep up the work, Orisa, and keep your dreams alive, Efi." He high-fived both of them, and went on to talk to other fans. He knew almost all of their names, and the people he didn't know he met. He enjoyed the half-times the most: meeting the people he influenced and getting inspired by their stories. There were people who fought Omnics during the first Crisis, Omnics who survived and learned to live in peace with people who once killed their kind, and even people who hated Omnics but respected them enough not to attack them at a peace-promoting concert. There were people of every race, every age, every kind. Lucio loved it: a combination of peace and respect. He got back to the stage easily with a wide grin. "Yo, everybody! I hope you enjoyed the first half of the show, because it's just going to get better! Let's break it down!" People cheered as the music began again. Antione watched carefully over the crowd as Lucio put on his handphones and earpiece so he could hear Antione talking.

"I still think this was a bad idea, not with all the death threats you've been getting."

"I am not scared of people like Vishkar or Talon. People shouldn't be either." Lucio countered, still playing happily.

"Alright, but it's still worrying. Hold on, who's that guy?"

"Where?"

"By the center entrance. I've never seen him before." Lucio casually directed his eyes to the entrance, not wanting to make anyone worried. It was a massive man, almost filling the doorway as he entered. He had colorful pants on, but plain brown armor on his chest, and had a metal gauntlet on his hand. *That's Doomfist. Maybe he's here to listen?* Doomfist continued to stand in the doorframe, rotating his wrists with a blank face. "Lucio, do you know him?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if he's a threat or not. Just to be safe, start getting some of the people out."

"Got it." Lucio continued playing, not wanting to scare anyone and definitely not clue Doomfist that his presence was noted. Doomfist suddenly slammed his gauntlet into the wall, ripping out a major chunk. Orisa managed to catch it, and Lucio stopped his stationary playing, switching seamlessly to his sonic amplifier.

"We're changing to a mobile concert, everybody! Come on, let's hustle!" The people followed Lucio quickly as he tried to keep them calm. Nearly everyone got out in less than 5 minutes under Lucio and Antoine's guidance. *Where's Efi?* He saw her leave the building, coughing harshly. *Okay, that's the last of them.* "Everybody, I'm going to need you to follow my sound guy, Antione, to a safer place, okay? I'm going to help." He pulled Antione to the side. "Get them out of the city. Last time that guy showed up, he almost leveled New York."

"Got it." Lucio hurried back to find Orisa holding a shield up to Doomfist's strikes against her, moving with him so he couldn't get past the shield to her. "Step off!" He blasted Doomfist into the brick wall, and slid by Orisa.

"Stay close to me and no harm will come."

"Understood. Got a plan?"

"He strikes with melee only and is quite slow."

"Got it." Lucio waited until Doomfist attacked again, then latched onto his gauntlet. He yanked at it, but had to detach himself before he got hit, gliding along the walls. Orisa shouted as Doomfist continued to attack,

"Barrier integrity critical!"

"Hold on, Orisa!" Suddenly Doomfist was tackled by a grey blur. "Looks like we got some help!"

"Hello, my friends!" Lucio frowned: he didn't recognize the voice or the man in an old fashion suit of armor.

"Perfect timing!" Doomfist stood back up, and the knight slammed his massive hammer into him. Doomfist stopped the strike with his gauntlet, looking angry. Lucio blasted him away from the knight, right into Orisa's shield. It disintegrated, and Orisa kicked Doomfist with her front legs, shooting at him with her minigun as she backed away. The man got between Doomfist and Orisa, creating his own barrier. Orisa continued firing at Doomfist, Lucio getting behind the stranger's shield as well. "Sorry, Orisa."

"It is fine. We can recover. Who are you?"

"I am Reinhardt. Let us focus on Doomfist, though."

"Alright." Orisa scanned the still attacking man as Reinhardt's shield was pummeled. Cracks began appearing in the barrier. Lucio kept blasting him away, but he was relentless. Orisa stated,

"Take care of Efi." She stepped out, blasting Doomfist with everything she had. He crushed her completely just as she shot through his armor to his heart.


	3. Catching up

Lena was anxiously waiting for Reinhardt's contact when Reaper appeared behind her. "What's going on?" She jumped in surprise, standing rapidly.

"Um…Reinhardt ran into some trouble in Numbani. He was going to help, and said he would contact me when it was finished."

"…Isn't Lucio playing there?" Lena paused.

"How did you know that?"

"Widow listens to his music." Was all Reaper said before walking away.

"Really?" Lena muttered out loud. *Why would she listen to music? She doesn't seem to be the type.* Lena continued waiting for Reinhardt's reply when another communicator went off.

"Widowmaker here. I am entering Australian waters now. Communication will be impossible from here on out. I will make contact when I am heading back."

"Alright, but how you get to Australian waters so quickly?"

"I got a plane to drop me off."

"Oh…"

"Widowmaker out."

"Oxten over and out." Lena said sheepishly. *Why didn't you think of that? Planes can get over to Australia in less than 2 hours! I still don't know what she's doing over there.*

"Soldier 76. I lost the police. Bastion and I are heading back to HQ: ETA 4 hours."

"Alright, luv."

"Soldier out."

"Widow's heading to Australia. Is there a reason why?"

"2 Junkers she thinks will help us take down Talon. Apparently, Talon's been trying to kill both of them for 5 years."

"And they're still alive?!"

"As far as she knows. Soldier out."

"Oxten over and out." Lena frowned, and Mei-Ling Zhou came in.

"Um, Zarya said you have been the 'dispatch' for 12 hours, Tracer. Do you need some help?"

"I've got this, but I really should eat something or Angela will have my head, Mei."

"Alright. I'll get you something to eat, then." Mei walked away as Lena called,

"Thanks, Luv!" Lena continued watching the comms carefully. After 3 hours, a communication finally came in.

"Reinhardt reporting."

"Oh, you're okay!"

"Ja, but one of the other resistance members wasn't so lucky. Her name was Orisa. I have her creator, Efi, here. She says she's beyond repair." *So she was an Omnic. Oh, that has to be hard for Efi.*

"Oh, no…Who was the attacker?"

"Doomfist. Orisa managed to put him down for good before he destroyed her. Lucio is here as well, comforting the creator."

"Oh, no…What are you going to do?"

"I am going to remain here, and make sure Talon does not ruin any more lives while Lucio is here: he was their main target."

"I'll tell the commanders. Try to keep your head low: we still aren't legal."

"Understood." Tracer sighed in sorrow. *When will enough deaths be enough?* Mei suddenly came in with a bowl of ramen.

"The cafeteria still isn't up and running. Sorry."

"Don't worry about that, luv. Thanks." Lena smiled sadly.

"What happened?"

"Reinhardt ran into some trouble. He's fine, but someone else died. He's staying in Numbani until Lucio leaves town: Talon was targeting him."

"Why?! All Lucio has ever done is promote peace!"

"I don't know, and it just makes it easier to not think about why." Tracer sighed, checking on Ana. "Ana, can you read me?"

"I'm a little busy, Lena. I will contact you when I am free." Lena heard a gunshot, then static.

"Okay…Ana's having trouble, but she seems to have it under control, and Soldier is on his way back. I'm going to see what I can find out from Reaper about what's going on."

"You know you can call him Commander Reyes, right?" Mei asked.

"The commander I knew would have never joined Talon." Lena stated, pulling on a sweater for the slightly chilly base. Mei seemed perfectly fine. "Hasn't Angela gotten the heat to work yet?"

"Not yet: she thinks it's missing some of the parts."

"Oh…Well, it's better we're safe than warm, right?" Lena said cheerfully.

"Right." Mei chuckled lightly.

"Have you got this? It takes a lot of patience and when things get crazy, composure."

"I can handle this. Xiexie."

"No problem, luv." Tracer raced off towards Reaper's room. McCree grabbed her just before she began to knock.

"Sorry, McFly, but he is in the worst mood I have ever seen. Just let him deal for a few days."

"…I really need answers, McCree."

"I know how you feel, but it's better to let him come to you to explain then pressure it out of him. Trust me on this: if you push, he locks up even more." Tracer began to protest, then realized she was talking to someone who was not only trained by Reaper, but lived with him for over 13 years.

"…Okay. How have you been?"

"On the run more than a wild horse, mostly. You?"

"Well, I got a girlfriend."

"Oh. Neat." McCree seemed surprised about something, but kept it to himself.

"You thought I was straight, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but it's fine."

"Did you have a crush on me?" Lena teased. McCree laughed.

"You ain't my type, but I do find you kind of cute."

"Aww!" Lena laughed lightly. "Do you want to go to the firing range for old times?"

"Sure." They heading off, joking casually like they had only seen each other last week instead of the 10 years it had been. As usual, McCree didn't miss the bull's eye, but Lena was almost completely scattered around the target, though she didn't generally miss it. "Hey, your scatter has gotten closer."

"Really?!" Lena said excitedly. McCree chuckled, then said through a straight face,

"Yeah, by about a millimeter." He then lost it.

"You jerk!" Lena smacked him softly. "I still don't get it. How do you never miss?"

"Magic."

"Liar."

"Well, practice makes perfect, right? I've been shooting since I was 6."

"Woah…"

"Yeah. It's pretty late. I'm getting something to eat, then heading to bed."

"I think I'll do the same. It's been a long day. Mei's covering dispatch until morning, and I'm taking back over in the morning. You'll have to find something to occupy yourself with until Soldier gets back Oh! Have you seen your room yet?"

"It's my old one, from back when I was in training. Don't worry, McFly: I'll always find something to do."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Lena teased.


	4. Resistance

Lucio was just patting Efi's shoulders as Reinhardt made a call. Lucio heard him say 'Talon', and closed his eyes, absorbing Efi's sobs of heartbreak over Orisa's body. *Talon did this. Of course. I want to make a difference, and terrorists like them always find a way to shut the hope down. No more. I'm done with just putting a band aid on the issue. "Efi, I need to talk to a few people, explain what happened, okay?"

"O-okay…Orisa was only 7…" Her sobs began anew, and Lucio sat back down, patting her shoulders. Reinhardt came in, looking unhappy.

"I am so sorry about your friend, Efi!"

"…I-I'll be fine. I…I need a few minutes alone, okay?"

"Alright, Efi. Let's go over here, Reinhardt." Lucio pulled the abnormally tall man still in his massive armor, to the side. "Talon was targeting me, weren't they?"

"…It looks like it." His volume had dropped dramatically.

"Then this is my fault…Why were you over here, anyways? I know a German accent when I hear it."

"…I was trying to find some…recruits for a project." Lucio suddenly connected the dots.

"You're Reinhardt, one of the founding members of Overwatch, right?"

"Ja."

"I know this is illegal, but were you recruiting for Overwatch again?"

"…" Reinhardt barely nodded.

"…I'll join." Reinhardt paused.

"You'll be hunted relentlessly. You'll be hard pressed to preform again."

"I know. I always have my albums if people want to listen to my music, but…" He looked over to Efi, still bawling over Orisa. "I don't want this to happen again. I'm going to do an ending performance here, then I'll come with you to wherever you are. I want to do more then just put a band-aid on the issue."

"Alright. I'll tell my friends about this. You should get ready to be on every wanted poster in the world."

"I've already been wanted in my own hometown! What's the world to that?" Lucio chuckled sadly, heading back over to Efi to comfort the teenager. When her parents arrived, he left to organize a spur of the moment, tour ending show. By midnight, he and Antione had planned out the entire thing in the ruins of the concert hall at 8 in the morning, and Lucio was laying in bed, trying to sleep. He called a number again. It went to message again. "Hey, Locarno. It's me again. So, a lot happened. I'm going to become a wanted criminal for doing the right thing. Guess I can't really hold your habit against you now, heh. Anyways, please call back. I'm starting to get really worried. Love you. Bye."

"Hey, Lucio?" came a call from the door.

"It's unlocked, Antione." The man came in, and Lucio sat up. "It's 1 in the morning. What are you doing awake?"

"Couldn't sleep. What's with you ending the tour early?"

"I'm joining Overwatch."

"…Dude, what? They shut down 13 years ago!"

"They're reforming. I want to do more than just…distract, you know?"

"Okay, but how are you going to explain this to your fans?"

"I'm going to tell them the truth: I'm taking a break from music to join a resistance group against terrorism, but I'll be back as soon as I can." Antione noticed Lucio holding his phone tightly.

"Did you call Locarno again?"

"Yeah…I'm worried about him."

"He's 17. You remember how you were."

"Yeah: fighting against Vishkar and playing music."

"He's a lot like you were."

"He's a kid that I sent to Juvie." Lucio moaned, putting his head in his lap.

"He'll get over it."

"Yeah, the question is when and will he ever call me back?"

"Probably not: if he hasn't stopped his 'habit', he's on the run and hasn't charged his phone, or lost it, or 'got' a new one."

"Ugh, I'm tired of uncertainties…but here's one that's certain. If we don't get some sleep, our music isn't going to do what we want it to do. Night, Antione."

"Night, Lucio." Lucio still couldn't sleep, but try his hardest, staring at his phone for any kind of response. Nothing. He got up at 6, stretching. Checked his phone again: nothing. *Antione's right: he probably hasn't gotten around to charging it.* He walked to the concert hall, to find almost triple the crowd for his actual performance. He got up to a makeshift podium, smiling sadly.

"So, last time we met here, there was attack from a terrorist group. I made it out, and so did everyone else, except for one person. She took down the attacker herself, at the cost of her life. Most of you knew her: Orisa. I got 7 words for the people who murdered her: Can't stop, won't stop, no matter what the cost. This will be my last live performance for a while." Protests of shock and horror erupted. Lucio waved his hands rapidly. "I'm not surrendering! I'm joining a resistance group to fight terrorists. I'll still be making music, still be helping people! People will be safe again, but it takes everyone. Don't give up: I'm not hearing that noise! We can't let them beat us down! This performance is for Orisa, and for everyone else who's paid the cost to protect us!" Wild cheers erupted, and Lucio started to play his music. He'd never seen so many brave people gathered in the ruins of such a recent attack having fun, just celebrating. The party lasted almost 6 hours, and Lucio said as he left the stage, "Remember, this is our home, our lives, and our people: no one can take that away!" The entire crowd cheered,

"Can't stop, won't stop!" He paused by Efi, who was still crying, now in the presence of her parents.

"I hope that made it a little easier."

"O-Orisa would have loved it. Thank you." Lucio smiled at the young woman, then headed to the wall where Reinhardt was carefully watching for any more surprise attacks.

"Are you ready?!"

"I was born ready. Can you keep up?"

"We will see, my friend!" Reinhardt laughed, both of them racing off to Headquarters.


	5. Fixer-Upper

Lena stretched calmly. She'd been handling the communications to everyone for the past 4 weeks as the leaders were out, and Zarya had offered to take over once they got back and headed out again. Reinhardt and Lucio were still on their way back while Ana hadn't made contact yet. *She's been gone for almost 2 months now. I wonder what she's doing that's taking so long.* Zarya came in.

"I am here. You should help fix up building. I've seen buildings after Omnic strike that were in better condition."

"I know. Thanks, Zarya."

"Of course." Lena hopped up, starting to walk around. They'd only been in Colorado for 3 weeks, so practically nothing was set up yet. She walked to the cafeteria, feeling hungry. She wasn't surprised to see McCree there, scavenging through the refrigerator. "What are you doing?" He jumped, slamming his head into the top of the fridge.

"Ow…I was looking for my whiskey."

"Oh. Angela took it. I think she said something about 'kidney failure'."

"Aw, shoot…Thanks, McFly."

"No problem!" McCree wandered off, and Lena took in the darkened room in sadness. *My home for 3 years, shut down because of black secrets and lies.* She poked around carefully. The water wasn't running yet, and a single freezer and fridge were all that were functional after 10 years of graffiti, vandalism, and violent raids. She looked along the walls at the obscene messages of hatred towards Overwatch, gang signs, and everything in between. Several of the wires had been yanked out of the wall, light switches pulled off, gun and knife marks all along the tables and walls. It was ruins, and it broke Lena's heart. *They still need us, even if they hate us.*

She continued walking to the computer lab. The computers that couldn't be stolen were broken in there, with the same destruction along the walls. She passed the medical lab, pausing in the doorway. Angela had almost repaired every piece of equipment, even putting the exposed wires back in the wall and covering the graffiti with carefully placed tools. McCree was in there talking to her, so Lena didn't interrupt, continuing on to the training room. It was the only place not touched with hateful hands, with a heavy layer of dust to show its age. The only reason it wasn't wrecked is no one could get into it: the room was always locked unless you had an active passcode. She took in the room, reliving her training sessions with Genji and McCree with silent joy. Bridgette waved from where she was cleaning, and Lena grinned, waving back. Lena quickly left, continuing on to her room. Even the quarters hadn't escaped the destruction. She sighed as she walked onto the old Commander's office. It had gotten the worst treatment: the walls were covered in broken screens, the ground coated in broken glass and dust, the desk dismantled and pieces missing. It was almost beyond repair, and no one had gotten around to start cleaning it, more pressing matters like running water and electricity taking priority. Lena walked towards a room she'd always avoided: Commander Reyes' quarters. She hesitantly knocked.

"What?"

"It's Lena Oxten, sir. I…I wanted to talk to you?" She couldn't help but feel nervous. There was quiet shuffling, then the door opened. He looked even less happy than usual, even with the mask on.

"What?"

"I was wondering if we could get some paint? Fix up the walls a little bit, you know?"

"Why?"

"…So it doesn't look so rough?"

"Whatever." He closed the door, and Lena frowned.

"…Is that a yes or a no?"

"Don't care." Was all Reaper said, muffled through the door. *Okay, then…I'll ask Morrison when he gets back.* She continued walking, and found Mei working on the primary computer lab with Winston.

"Winston, I don't know where this gets put…"

"Oh! That goes up there. I can get that."

"I can't believe anyone would do this much damage…Oh! This goes over here."

"They don't want us, but they need us."

"And we need an electrician…badly."

"Yeah…" Lena sighed, walking on. Zarya stated into the comms,

"Soldier is back with Omnic." Her voice dripped with distain, but less than usual. Lena was the first one to meet Soldier and Bastion. Oddly, Bastion seemed calmer than anyone else, beeping at a bird that was on his shoulder. Lena smiled, saluting casually.

"Hello, luvs! How was the trip?"

"It was fine. This is Bastion, and I think Torbjorn said the bird's name was Ganymede." Bastion beeped happily. "How are things progressing here?"

"Winston and Mei almost have the science lab up, and Angela's finished with the medical bay. The cafeteria is still nonfunctioning, and neither is the water and electricity."

"How is the science and medical labs running then?" Lena shook her head, clarifying,

"They're not: they're just fixed up enough for use once the power gets turned on."

"That's going to take a while. Zarya's handling communications?"

"Yes, sir. She practically ordered me to take a break."

"Where's Bridgette?"

"She's working on the training room, sir. I was hindering if we could get some paint to fix up the walls."

"Did you ask Reaper?"

"Yes, sir. He said he didn't care."

"I think we should. It might help with adjusting. However, Mei, Zarya, and you are the only people who aren't wanted for something."

"And Bridgette."

"Oh. And her. Honestly, that's not bad considering there's only 12 of us." Lena did a quick mental count, the number not sounding right.

"There's 14."

"Widow and Reaper don't count."

"…Alright, then. Come on, Bastion: I'll give you a tour!" The robot beeped excitedly, and Tracer showed him everywhere: Cafeteria, training room, gym, computer lab, science lab, medical bay, and finally, the courtyard. It was overgrown and only had one tree left standing by the wall, but Tracer enjoyed the small green area. Bastion beeped excitedly as Ganymede flew around. "You're a nature-lover? You'll probably spend most of your time here, then: it's the only place that has plants on base." Bastion nodded in understanding, plopping down like a human would. Lena laughed. "There's always room for heroes in the world, isn't there?"


	6. Meetings

Lucio followed Reinhardt casually. The big man was surprisingly able to be quiet when he wanted to be, which wasn't often unless the police were after them. Reinhardt offered Lucio his own ear-piece, but Lucio and declined. "You need it more than I do: you know them all!"

"True, my friend! Reinhardt reporting!" Lucio leaned into the comms, listening carefully.

"Zarya here. What is status, Reinhardt?"

"We are half-way to the base! Did Lena finally take a break?!"

"Da. I told her to get some sleep and actual food."

"She hasn't been eating?!"

"Mei has been making her coffee and ramen." Reinhardt cursed in German.

"That woman is mad! Lucio, say hello!"

"Hello, hello."

"Hello, Lucio. Thank you for joining us."

"No problem. Can't wait to meet everyone."

"Da. Everyone but Ana has returned. There is Omnic." Lucio frowned at the anger in the woman's voice.

"Calm down, my friend! You know not all Omnics are bad now!"

"Da. That does not make it easier to trust."

"Of course! I look forward to boxing you again!"

"Agreed."

"Reinhardt out!"

"Zarya over and out." Lucio looked up at the man in confusion.

"Why doesn't she like Omnics?" Reinhardt said quietly and sadly,

"Her home was destroyed during the First Crisis by Omnics. She recently learned not all of them are bad, but she still struggles with her anger."

"I hear you. It took a few of my friends a while to trust an Omnic who joined our resistance group, but he was a good person."

"What happened to him?" Reinhardt asked. Lucio sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Vishkar Industries caught us during one of our raids. He sacrificed himself to get us out. I actually wrote a song for him. Good musician, good fighter, better friend. But because of him, we got rid of Vishkar."

"I am sorry, Lucio."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. He wouldn't want us to feel bad about him, so I try not to." Lucio smiled. "So we're halfway there after 3 days?"

"Distance wise! We're only about 6 hours away by time!"

"Huh. Well, let's get moving." They continued onwards. "So I'm guessing we're somewhere in the Americas since we're so close to the coast."

"Ja! Colorado, to be exact! Lena is on her way to meet us here!"

"Who's Lena?"

"Miss Lena Oxton, the finest pilot and racer you will ever meet!"

"A racer, huh? I'm pretty fast myself."

"I don't think you can even touch her!"

"We'll see, big guy. So we got Zarya, you, Lena Oxton, and Mei?"

"Ja! Zarya is a Russian weight lifter! Very strong!"

"Yeah, Antione is a big fan. Lena's the pilot and a racer, but who's Mei?"

"She's a climatologist! A very kind person! Until you upset her, of course!"

"Most people are. Are there a lot more of you guy?"

"12 permanent members including us two, and 2 who are…allies for the moment. No one knows for certain why we are trusting them, but the commander knows what he is doing!"

"You're working with people you don't know if you can trust? That doesn't seem very smart for an illegal operation."

"I agree, but we have to trust our commander!"

"Seems kind of weird to me, but okay. So where are we meeting Lena?"

"Over here!" Reinhardt stated, gesturing to a small clearing in the woods.

"…She can land a plane here? There's no way."

"Watch, my friend!" Lucio and Reinhardt waited patiently until Lucio heard a quiet rumble. "Here we go!" The pilot landed with ease in the tiny clearing as Lucio watched in amazement. A rather small woman with some kind of device on her chest appeared in the bay doors.

"Hello, luvs. Sorry I'm late: Bridgette wanted to spar."

"That is fine: who won?!"

"Bridgette, but I got a few licks in. Hello, luv. I'm Private Lena Oxton, at your service." Lucio grabed her hand with a grin.

"Lucio Santos, at your service. Reinhardt told me you're fast?"

"Competed in the Olympics and won gold!"

"Hold on, you're the Lena Oxton, nicknamed Tracer?"

"The one and only!"

"I would be honored to race you for fun."

"Sure thing: once we get back to base!" Lucio looked around, picking one of the seats.

"Got it, Lena." The trip back was quiet, and Lena landed without an issue again.

"Back safely, luvs. Lucio, you'll want to go see Soldier first: he's in the 3rd hall down, 4th door."

"Thanks for getting us here, my friend!"

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria later: we can race around the courtyard once Soldier gets you situated."

"Wait, Lena!" Reinhardt called, but the woman was already gone.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to know if Ana had contacted anyone! I'll ask Zarya instead!" Reinhardt walked off, and Lucio couldn't help but wonder how such an ancient person still had the ability to fight, let alone the will to keep pushing on. He followed Lena's instructions to a room with two people inside: one was wearing a mask with an orange visor and a red, white, and blue jacket, and the other was covered completely in black, complete with trench coat and skull mask.

"Um…Hello, hello. Lena Oxton said I should talk to someone named Soldier?" The skull mask scoffed, walking out of the room. "…Okay, then."

"Don't mind Reaper: he's always like that. I'm Soldier. I'm guessing you're Lucio?"

"Yes, I am. Are you in charge of Overwatch?" Soldier sighed.

"Not technically, but Winston lets me have the final word. Thanks for joining. We could always use more help taking down terrorists."

"My pleasure. So what's the plan?"

"We don't have one just yet. We're focusing on getting intel and more recruits. Do you know anything about Talon?"

"Other than they've killed a lot of people including some of my closest friends, have ties to almost every major company in the world, one of their officials runs Vishkar Industries, and are all around bad people, no."

"…Which of their officials runs Vishkar?" Lucio almost scowled, anger bubbling to the surface before he got it back under control.

"Sanjay Korpal. He almost renovated my home into one of their experiments. We stopped him, but a lot of people got hurt from it."

"I'm sorry, kid." Lucio chuckled.

"Kid? I haven't been called that in a while, old man! Besides, it's all good. We're going to take them down, and the world will be fine."

"…I appreciate the optimism." Lucio smiled as Soldier explained the layout of the base. *I have to be optimistic: no one can be for you.*


	7. Questions

Lena paced around the cafeteria, looking forward to racing someone after so long. 2 hours after she had gotten there, Lucio raced up, looking just as excited. "Hey, Lena. You up for it?"

"Always!" They got ready as they talked, neither wanting a competitive race: just a friendly one. "So how was Numbani? I haven't been in ages."

"Everyone's getting along great with the Omnics, and the attack 5 days ago was the only one in almost 5 years." Lucio explained.

"Wow. Gives you hope, don't it? that things can work out?"

"Definitely. Ready?"

"Set."

"GO!" They both shot off. She was almost surprised when Lucio got in front of her, but quickly overtook him, tapping the counter first by only a spilt second. He laughed, panting.

"Your reputation does not overrate you: You're quick!"

"You, too! I haven't had a race that close since the Olympics!"

"Good to know! Why is everything this dark? It's in the middle of the day."

"Oh. We still haven't gotten everything set up: electricity's not running yet." Lucio seemed surprised, then smiled.

"I can fix that for you."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah! I work with electricity and sound all the time. Just show me to where the generator is."

"Oh, yeah. there was an emergency generator somewhere by the medical bay, I think…" Lena raced off, joined by Lucio. "Let's see…right, behind here…Oi, Angela?"

"Ja?" Came the call from the doctor's office.

"Do you know where the emergency generator is?"

"Oh, yes. It's behind this wall, outside."

"I knew it was over here somewhere!" Lena raced off, then popped by the generator calmly. "Ta-da! Oh, I blinked…" Lucio joined her after a few seconds.

"How'd you do that?! I was right behind you, then you disappeared!"

"Oh, it's my chronoaccelerator. It's…kind of like a jump through time, I suppose."

"That's really cool. Let's see. Man, this thing is ancient."

"It was installed when the base was built." Lena defended as Lucio looked around.

"I don't know how long it'll last after I fix it, but I can fix it at least once…I think. Let's try this…" Lucio kept working on it, humming something quietly. "There we go… Cross your fingers…" He cranked it harshly, and the lights dimly lit up. "Okay, let's amp it up a little…" they rose to normal shining levels, and Lucio smiled.

"Oh, thanks, luv! Winston and Mei have been trying to get that working for ages!"

"No problem. Any other issues I might be able with?"

"Do you know anything about water pressure?"

"No, but I can try!" Tracer showed Lucio around and introduced him to the various projects that needed help until they got to the sewage main, where Bridgette was working. "Oh! Bridgette, this is Lucio!"

"Hello. How are you?"

"I'm great. What's up with this?"

"Oh, the toilets aren't flushing. With Papa refusing to join again, Soldier asked me to handle it."

"Well, do you want some help?"

"Sure! If you just"

"I've got to head to town to grab some paint. You have fun!"

"Okay. Be safe, Lena."

"Always am!" Bridgette laughed at that, but Lena raced off to town, entering the hardware store calmly. "Excuse me, luv, but do you have any white paint?"

"Yes, we do…you're a former Overwatch member."

"Yes, I am!" Lena said cheerfully, not sure why it mattered but hoping it was a good sign.

"…We don't serve terrorists. Please leave, miss."

"We weren't like…alright, luv." Lena said sadly, walking out and going to another store. "Excuse me, but do you have any white paint?"

"Yes, we do. This way, miss." Lena followed quietly, buying 2 10-gallon buckets and heading back slowly. She had just gotten out of town when Zarya walked up to her.

"Soldier heard you were getting paint and sent me down."

"Thanks, luv…do you think this is a good idea?"

"What is good idea?"

"Restarting Overwatch. I mean, everyone hates us, even when we're just trying to protect them."

"…I do not know, but I know they will understand what you are trying to do, if you push through the pain." Lena continued trying to carry the bucket as they walked, and Zarya let her.

"Ugh, I need to work out my arms more. This is exhausting. I'm sorry, but would you-"

"No problem. We are friends: friends help each other." Zarya said with a shrug, picking the container up easily. Lena smiled, keeping pace with the Russian. A thought occurred to her.

"How did you find out about Overwatch restarting? I don't remember anyone coming to recruit you…"

"No one did. Mei and I met in Arctic. She told me about it. I decided to join on my own."

"Why? Overwatch is illegal, and you not only had a job, but a life."

"Russia was safe: that is why I went to Arctic. I wanted to make difference. After hearing what Mei said about her research, and Overwatch in general, I felt it was my fate to join."

"That's nice, luv…"

"You are…beating dead horse. What is really wrong?" Lena frowned, then chuckled.

"Wrong euphemism. It's beating around the bush. And what I really wanted to ask is how you feel about us trusting Widow and Reaper?"

"…I do not have the same history as you all do, but I find it odd to trust people who have fought against your organization for so long."

"So do I, but I'm not sure how to approach it with Commander Morrison."

"Why do you call him that? You are no longer part of the military, Da? Why call him by former title?" Lena thought a few seconds before answering.

"…It feels weird to call him Jack, and I don't know if he still goes by Soldier."

"Da, he does." Lena paused outside of the base.

"Why do I call him Commander? You're right: we're illegal. Why call him by a military name?"

"Exactly. Where do these go?"

"Oh! Sorry, luv. I'm going to work on the cafeteria first." Zarya set the paint in the cafeteria as directed, taking a deep breath.

"Would you like some help?"

"If you're free."

"I am not, but Mei is. She…had trouble with managing the communications."

"That's why she won't take charge of that after last time."

"Good luck, Lena." Zarya walked off, and Lena set to work painting the walls back to their original white.


	8. Night

Lucio had fixed the generator, helped Bridgette fix the water, and helped Mei set up the solar power so people would be less likely to notice their arrival within the first 2 weeks he had been a member of Overwatch. He still wasn't sure about Soldier, but had reached a decision about Reaper: for some reason, Reaper didn't like him. He didn't really mind: they rarely even crossed paths. Lena was everywhere. After the second day, Lucio had given up trying to keep track of where she was. He was trying to sleep during his 3rd week when he heard grumbling from across the hall. *Huh?* He got up, frowning lightly. He knocked on the door.

"What?" It was Reaper.

"Um, you okay? I heard some…noises…" Reaper opened the door. He looked annoyed.

"…"

"Um, never mind…sorry to bother you." Lucio backed away, smiling nervously at the dark cloud of rage.

"…It was Reinhardt, not me. Door down." He slammed the door closed.

"Oh. Thanks." Lucio knocked on the next door.

"Hold on-ow!" There was loud clattering inside the room. A shattering sound happened before McCree answered the door, rubbing his head. Lucio acutely noticed he looked like he had been crying and had his hat in his hand.

"…You okay?"

"Yeah, just sat up too fast." McCree replaced his hat onto his head.

"I heard glass breaking."

"Um…it was the window." Lucio raised his eyebrow, looking behind McCree. The room was trashed, and the window was perfectly fine.

"I thought you used to be part of the military."

"We were. Well, most of us. Basic cleaning never really got through. What are you doing up at midnight?"

"I was actually looking Reinhardt's room."

"Oh. That the other side of G-Reaper's room."

"…You were about to call him something else."

"Yeah…" McCree seemed nervous.

"…It's fine. I just joined a few weeks ago: I don't expect all the secrets to be revealed at once."

"It ain't a secret: it's just…weird, honestly. Anyways, I need to get to sleep." Lucio nodded.

"Goodnight."

"Night." Lucio went across again, knocking on the 3rd door. It opened on its own.

"Reinhardt?" He heard more grumbling from the bed.

"Nein…"

"Reinhardt, are you okay?" Lucio frowned as the man had scars all over his body weaving across his exposed shoulders and underneath his tank, his armor well-kept in the corner. He kept shaking his head in the bed. *He's having a nightmare.* "Reinhardt, wake up, man."

"Nein! Oh! Lucio!"

"It's midnight. I'd suggest lowering the volume, man." Reinhardt chuckled, sitting up in bed.

"What has happened?"

"Nothing. I could just hear you from my room, and I got worried."

"Oh. I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep."

"You were having a nightmare. That common for you?" Reinhardt sighed heavily, leaning back.

"Sit down, my friend. All of us have issues of some kind. McCree is a smoker and an alcoholic."

"I noticed. I've never seen anyone with it that bad."

"Soldier, Ana, and I have nightmares about the war."

"The Omnic Crisis. Makes sense. My dad did, too, and so do I sometimes." Lucio shuddered.

"We all have problems. Most of us don't like talking about them, myself included. It's just a reminder of how old we are, how much we have seen. But our issues only amplify our need to fight. If we don't, others will have to, and they will suffer what we do. I am sorry I woke you, though. I heard you're going on a mission tomorrow." Lucio noticed Reinhardt trying to change the subject, and he let it happen.

"So did I. I just hope I'm up for the job."

"As long as you are willing, you are up for anything." Lucio knuckle-bumped Reinhardt, then looked over to his desk.

"Dude, you listen to Hasselhoff?"

"He is a classic!"

"Really? Here." Lucio pulled out a disk from his pocket. "These are some of my favorite songs: freshen up your playlist, and it'll help you out a lot."

"What is wrong with Hasselhoff?"

"Nothing, if you don't mind falling asleep!" Reinhardt scowled, but took the disk. "Seriously, if you need help falling asleep, talk to me. I can put anyone to sleep just talking about audio manipulation."

"I'll keep that in mind, my friend." Lucio exited the room, then paused outside of Reaper's door, hearing a strange sound.

"If you wannabe my lover, you have got to give~" Lucio snorted, and the music suddenly stopped. Reaper was at the door before Lucio could retract. He was grabbed by his throat by a furious bringer of death.

"Tell anyone, I'll snap your neck."

"G-got it…" Lucio was dropped. The door was slammed closed.

"Okay…Reaper definitely doesn't like me…" Lucio entered his room quietly. He stayed there for about 30 minutes, then headed out again, walking around. The base was looking a lot better already: the walls were solid white, the lights were on, and the intercom system was repaired. He paused at a doorway he hadn't gone into yet. He pulled at the handle, but it didn't budge.

"You are required to have a password to enter here, Lucio Santos."

"Who's that?" he said, jumping.

"I am Athena."

"Oh, you're the lady Soldier mentioned. Nice to meet you."

"Same to you."

"How do I set up a password?"

"Soldier 76 can do that later today. May I inquire as to why you are awake?"

"Just looking around, honestly."

"Most of the base is locked down after 11:30, including the firing range, gym, both training halls, file room, and computer labs. They will be unlocked at 7 in the morning. Until then, I would suggest trying to sleep."

"Alright. Goodnight, Athena."

"Goodnight, Lucio Santos." Lucio headed back to his room, texting a number.

'It's me again. Your voicemail is full. Please call. Very worried. Love you.' He stared at his phone in desperation until he nodded off. He was woken up by a calm McCree.

"Howdy. Looks like we're going to Nepal with Lena to pick up Ana."

"…What?"


	9. Pilot

Tracer yawned, prepping the plane for take-off as Jessie stretched, laying down across almost 4 seats. Lucio sat down, rubbing his eyes clear of sleep as Lena strapped in some medical supplies just in case. "What do you mean, we're going to Nepal to pick up Ana?" Lena explained, entering the cockpit and starting to take off,

"Ana's been off direct comms for almost 3 months now. I have no idea what's she's been doing, but she needed emergency pickup. We got the call 10 minutes ago."

"And we're already heading out? You move fast."

"McCree, luv, do you think you can explain?" Light snores erupted from the back. "McCree!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Lena." She heard the cowboy stretch, and couldn't help but smile. *He can sleep anywhere. How does he do it?*

"Could you explain why we need to move fast? I'm going to be flying through a storm."

"Sure. We need to move quick because we're being hunted and it was an emergency call. If Ana called an emergency pickup, she's either hurt, or about to be. Usually we're out by 5 before everything got shut down, but we're rusty."

"Wow. That's nuts." Lena nodded, sighing. She still hadn't gotten an answer to her questions; not even as simple as what Ana was doing in Nepal. It was driving her insane, all the secrets. It felt as if no one believed they could be trusted anymore! "Um, Lena? You're gripping that stick-shift pretty tight."

"Oh. Sorry, luv. Just thinking about Ana." Jessie's eyebrow raised, but he didn't question it, closing the door to the control area. It was quiet for a while, Lena shifting uncomfortably. "McCree, does it bother you that they aren't telling us why we're trusting Widow and Reaper?"

"A little, but I'm used to working with limited info. It bothering you?" Lena faked a smile at McCree's honest question.

"No, I'm fine." McCree sighed, tapping her shoulder as he stood up, yawning.

"You're a bad liar, Lena, but I won't push. Try imagining the stick-shift as Morrison's or Reyes' neck: always helped me." Lena chuckled, calling to the retreating cowboy,

"It's not a stick-shift: it's a-" The door opened and closed before Lena could finish. "…Never mind." She sighed again, landing with ease. Lena stayed in the plane, listening to the bursts of gunfire as Ana boarded as quickly as she could. She entered the cockpit almost instantly, and Lena took off as more gunfire followed.

"Thank you, Miss Oxten."

"What was the emergency?"

"Nepal's government was starting to catch onto me: 3 more minutes, and you would have had to handle a battlefield landing."

"Those are hard. What were you even doing in Nepal, Ana?"

"I was looking for Genji. No luck."

"Oh. I thought he was…killed." Lena frowned briefly, recalling his supposed murderer was working with them currently.

"Not as far as Reaper told me."

"…Oh." Ana looked at Lena as the pilot turned her focus on flying.

"…What's wrong? You aren't usually this quiet."

"It's just early, ma'am." Ana frowned, not believing her for a second. "Do you know about the 2 Junkers Widow is trying to find in Australia?"

"Not much. She hasn't even told Reaper about them."

"How do you know he's not telling you about them?"

"Because if he knew more than they've been wanted by Talon for 5 years, he would tell me. Maybe not Jack, but definitely me." Lena nodded in silence, assured by Ana's quiet confidence. Lena tapped the communicator as fuzz began. She thought she could make out Widow's voice, but wasn't sure.

"Hello? Lena Oxten speaking."

"Bonjour, mon…Widow…I…the Junkers…meet at coordinates…" Lena tapped it again.

"Unclear, please repeat."

"Widowmaker reporting. I have the Junkers. Meet at coordinates 13.1642° South, 96.8710° East."

"Copy: 13.1642° South, 96.8710° East. Over."

"Adieu, Chere. Over and out." Widow cut off the rest of the communication, and Lena shrugged, looking at Ana with a grin.

"I guess we'll find out more about these Junkers when we go to pick them up with Widow."

"They are by the Coco Islands." Ana observed, checking the coordinates on the map.

"What are they doing over there? It's easier to get the other side of Australia."

"From what I've heard, both the Junkers and Widowmaker are wanted by Talon, and Talon has connections with the Australian 'Queen'."

"Queen?"

"I know she controls all of the south shores, but I don't know much else. Not many Australians get out of Australia. Alive, at least." Ana admitted, sighing as she straightened herself. "Did Soldier tell you why Torbjorn said no?" Lena frowned.

"No, ma'am. He said Torbjorn called the police, though."

"That's not like him." Ana muttered quietly. Lena frowned, and Ana turned to her, smiling lightly. Lena didn't buy it for a second. "I'm sure he had a good reason." Lena smiled back, turning to focus on piloting once again.

"He always does, but…I don't know. I feel like the Commanders are hiding something from all of us." Ana didn't reply, looking into the sky. Lena didn't say anything more, waiting for her response.

"It looks like it's going to rain." *She's trying to change the subject.

"We're just going through a storm." Lena dismissed, flying higher to avoid the coming rain. "…Ana?"

"I know, Lena. But we have to trust them."

"So everyone keeps telling me." Lena muttered, frustration about all the secrets showing briefly. Ana patted her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Lena forced a smile onto her face.

"I'm fine, ma'am. Let's get Widow and these Junkers." Ana frowned, but looked forward. *I really hope someone tells me something soon. I don't know how much more of these lies and hidden codes I can take.* She gripped the shifting gear tightly. *Not even Ana or McCree know about what's happening. I just want to know what changed things so much we're working with 2 Talon agents, and they convinced not only Commander Morrison, but Ana, Reinhardt, Winston, and McCree to trust them again…It's driving me mad.*


	10. Unanswered

Lucio was tapping his fingers to a beat when a call came over the plane. "We're picking up Widow and 2 unknown people. Please don't start a fight, McCree." McCree chuckled.

"I never do that on purpose."

"Hold on…I remember seeing a bunch of wanted posters about you. Didn't you hijack a train?" McCree said, slumping slightly.

"No, that was Talon. I just had the luck of being blamed for being there and stopping them."

"And…some bank robberies?"

"I haven't robbed any banks." McCree chuckled.

"Don't worry, man. I'm wanted for disrupting the peace and robbing Vishkar Industries."

"Didn't you actually do those?"

"Yeah, but for a good reason." Lucio shrugged. He pulled out his phone, checking his messages. Nothing.

"You dating someone?"

"No, just worried about a friend." Lucio explained, putting his phone away.

"I'm sure whoever it is will be fine." McCree dismissed, straightening his hat.

"Why do you wear that? Is it a uniform, or something?"

"Wear what?" McCree asked. Lucio gestured to his entire cowboy ensemble. "Oh, this. Reminds me of home. Iced tea and grits." McCree grinned.

"…What are grits?" Lucio questioned. McCree looked horrified.

"I'm making you some when we get back. They are delicious."

"If you say so." Lucio shrugged again, gripping the seat as they landed somewhere. The plane began rocking, and McCree looked sick. "You get seasick?" He nodded, turning green almost immediately.

"Hold on, luv. They're almost on board."

"Are you sure we can't get there on a boat?" Lucio frowned, not recognizing the voice. McCree did, and he drew his gun in preparation.

"You asked that 30 minutes ago. The answer is the same. We are on board." Lucio recognized the woman as she sat down. *That's the sniper that killed Mondatta and one of my friends!*

"Taking off." Lena suddenly sounded a lot colder than before, and Lucio gripped the seat as they entered the sky. He observed the Junkers: he also recognized them from wanted posters. *Junkrat and Roadhog: murder, destruction of a lot of property, attempted murder, manslaughter, kidnapping. Pretty much everything. Why are THEY doing with Overwatch?* Junkrat suddenly went quiet, noticing McCree.

"Oi, mate! It's the cowboy!" Roadhog looked over, but said nothing. "HEY!" McCree looked at the small man, who frowned. "You almost blinded Roadie!"

"And you almost killed 30 people." McCree retorted.

"It was just Nitrose!" Junkrat scoffed.

"It was just a flashbang." He replied coolly. *Okay, they do not like each other.* Junkrat went to lunge at McCree, but Roadhog just buckled him in, preventing him from getting to McCree. Lucio looked at Widow. She wasn't even paying any attention to the struggling Junkrat, examining her gun calmly. *She didn't come on board with a gun.* The elder lady Lucio assumed was Ana exited the cockpit, sitting across from Widow. Junkrat paused, looking at her in confusion for a few seconds, then went back to trying to get at McCree.

"Who are they?" Ana asked.

"Enemies of Talon. I said that before." The sniper didn't look at all worried at Ana's glare.

"How do you know them?" Junkrat offered,

"She tried to hire us!" Ana looked at him in surprise as Roadhog facepalmed himself. "What?!"

"Why?" Ana asked in confusion. Junkrat shrugged.

"She tried to hire us, then when I said no, she tried shoot me!" He seemed unfazed by this event, smiling as if to ask if it was helpful.

"That's the gist of it, Oui." Widow stated, expressionless. Ana sighed, standing up and entering the cockpit again. Lucio glared at the woman. "Can I help you, entertainer?"

"Why did you shoot Mondatta?"

"He was a target: it wasn't personal." She stated.

"What about Leonard Smith?" She looked at him.

"I don't recall that name."

"He was an Omnic from Brazil. Helped me fight Vishkar until you put a bullet through his skull." Lucio spat. He didn't notice anyone else in the plane, focused entirely on the expressionless sniper.

"…I don't recall that description. Pardon." Lucio growled, but didn't reply. *Why is she working with Overwatch?* They landed back at base quickly. Soldier was waiting. McCree got out first, growling,

"Hiring a bunch of loons. What's next?"

"Oi, who are you calling crazy, tosser?!" Came Junkrat's shout as Roadhog held him in the air calmly. Lucio stayed on the plane as Widowmaker exited. Lena left the cockpit next, and Lucio pulled her to the side.

"Why are you working with her?!"

"I have no idea, but everyone tells me to trust the commanders, and that's what I'm trying to do." Lena stated, walking away with a frown. *Makes me wonder what Reaper's done.* soldier stopped Lucio.

"How did it go?"

"Well, Junkrat tried to kill McCree. Something about almost blinding Roadhog? And I'm pretty sure Lena and Widow hate each other. Ana doesn't seem to care for Widow, either. Other than that, pretty good."

"They have…past history."

"Why are you trusting a murderer?" Lucio asked bluntly.

"She has information and skills we can use."

"How do you know she's not going to stab you in the back?"

"She hates Talon more than we do." Was all Soldier said before walking away to talk to the Junkers.

"That's not good enough." Lucio muttered. He found Lena in the training room, shooting rapidly at the targets. She wasn't terrible, but wasn't a very good aim, either. "Hey, Lena!" She paused, appearing in front of him with a grin.

"Lucio! I didn't even know you had a passcode now." He smiled lightly, then got serious.

"What do you know about everything that's going on?" Lena frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Your boss isn't telling me anything, and I was hoping he told you something."

"Honestly, I don't know much, though I'm glad I'm not the only one who's questioning things! I know they tell us to trust Reaper and Widow, that they have information about things and hate Talon. I don't know why their opinion changed: they used to work for Talon, after all. I know Commander Morrison-"

"Commander Morrison? I thought he died."

"Oh, I mean…oh, who cares? Soldier is Commander Morrison. Reaper is Commander Reyes."

"…That actually explains a lot…and brings so many more questions up."

"Hey, it gets crazy. That's what I know."

"…That's nothing."

"I know."


	11. Unsure

Tracer was leaving Winston's lab when he called, "Hold on, Lena. I heard you've been asking questions about the commanders." Lena turned sharply with a smile.

"I have. Do you know anything?" Winston straightened his glasses.

"Um, no. I was hoping you did…" Her smile faded slightly, but she kept positive.

"No, I don't, other than nothing Soldier is doing makes any sense. Are you sure?"

"Um…Widow was asking about you." Lena frowned.

"She was? Why?"

"She wanted to know where you were, and I told her that you were going to be with me right now, but I didn't know exactly where you were then. I don't know why she wanted to know where you were, though…"

"Do you know where she is?"

"I believe she's near Reaper's room."

"Thanks, luv!" Lena raced off. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Widow. She paused at Reaper's door, knocking gingerly.

"What?!" Reaper sounded much angrier than usual.

"Um, I was wondering if you knew where Widow was…" Lena said hesitantly. The door opened, and Widow came out. she had a small grin on her face.

"Au Revoir, Mon Cherie."

"I'm not your Cherie." He spat, closing the door harshly. Lena blinked rapidly, then asked,

"What was that about? I thought you used to work together."

"We still do." Widow stated, walking along. Lena kept pace with her. "I was wondering. What happened to cause you to…blink, I believe you call it?"

"Um…I was a test pilot, there was an accident with an experimental flight, and I lost connection with this state of time…" Lena answered hesitantly, unsure why it was coming up.

"So when I broke the device on you, it hurt you." Widow murmured to herself.

"Um, you did drop us from a 5-story building, rammed me into the side of said building, and cause my chronoaccelerator to malfunction, so yes." Widow lost all expression.

"I know what I did." Lena frowned.

"Why ask about it?"

"I can be curious." She dismissed casually.

"..Why are we trusting you-wait, no. why are we letting you kill Talon?"

"I thought you wanted that." Widow stated with a smile.

"I do, but I want to know why you hate them so much now! You used to work with them!" Her face went blank again, and she didn't reply. "Widow! Fine. At least tell me something else, then. I read the report on the death of Head of Investigations, Gerald-" She was against the wall, gun aimed right at her throat and a completely expressionless assassin in her face. She went silent, suddenly terrified.

"You shouldn't snoop so much, Mon Chere. It's bad for your health." The gun was retracted, and Widow continued walking. Lena rejoined her, now a good 4 feet behind her.

"…Touchy subject. Got it."

"Non. It's pointless to relive the moment." Lena suddenly registered not even her voice had emotion: she was completely deadened to all sensation.

"…How are you so heartless?"

"It comes natural. Why did you want to find me?"

"I wanted answers." Widow paused briefly.

"Answers. You make it sound so simple." Lena frowned.

"What?" Widow turned to her with a frown.

"Overwatch is illegal. We are all wanted. What does a few answers mean in all of that?"

"It gives me a reason to keep fighting."

"You fight because you must. If you do not, you will die." Widow said bluntly. "Either by police or Talon. There is no third option: Overwatch used to be the hunter. Now it is the prey."

"…There is a third option."

"What: join Talon? I tried that option: all it did was hurt."

"…Wait, you never joined Overwatch. You chose to go to Talon." Widow started laughing. "What's funny about that?!"

"I never had a choice." Lena frowned.

"…I don't understand. Why did Commander Reyes go to Talon? Why does he hate Overwatch and Talon?" Widow took a deep breath.

"To find that out, you should ask the commanders." Lena turned red in annoyance.

"Fine, Amelie!" Widow paused, looking at Lena.

"…What?"

"That's your actual name: Amelie."

"Not anymore." She entered the firing range, and Lena walked to Soldier's office. He was punching a punching bag, looking annoyed.

"Permission to enter?"

"Granted. What's wrong, Oxten?"

"Why did Commander Reyes go to Talon?" Lena asked bluntly.

"Don't know. Ask Reyes."

"…Sir, are you ever going to tell me what's going on?"

"I'm not because it will put you in danger. I'm trying to protect you."

"…Understood, sir."

"Dismissed, Oxten." Lena walked out, scowling at no one in particular. *This whole thing is ridiculous! What's not telling us going to do to protect us?!* she continued scowling until she came across McCree. He was fast asleep in the cafeteria.

"McCree, why aren't you sleeping in your quarters?" He jumped, straightening his hat.

"Oh, I must've dozed off while waiting for my water to boil." He paused, looking at a bowl of ramen next to him. "…Who finished it for me?"

"It was probably Mei. She does things like that a lot. McCree, do you know why Commander Reyes rejoined Overwatch?"

"Not enough to satisfy you, but I'll tell you what I know." Jessie stretched, using chopsticks to shovel the ramen down as Lena watched in surprise.

"…Where did you learn to use chopsticks?"

"Genji taught me." He said with his mouth full, then swallowing. "So, he started hunting down everybody, right?"

"Yeah, both Blackwatch and Overwatch personnel."

"Well, he did that 'cause he thought Morrison caused the explosion."

"…what?"

"Yeah, I told he that the very idea was ridiculous, and he agreed now his head's on straight. Well, about 3 or 4…when did he join?" McCree asked, unsure.

"4 and a half months ago." Lena stated, sitting down to listen more closely.

"Well, at that time, he heard a conversation that he shouldn't have. Talon was responsible for that neat little explosion that costs us so much."

"Okay, that explains him, but why Widow?" McCree shrugged.

"Told you it wouldn't help much."

"It's a starting place!"


	12. Worries

Lucio was walking back to his room after fixing one of the lights when he heard suppressed voices behind Reaper's door. He paused, hesitating. *Last time I listened in, I almost got choked to death…Worth it.* He went closer to the door, listening closely.

"Have you found them?" He recognized Reaper's voice immediately. He sounded less angry, and more worried. He also recognized the next voice as Widow's.

"I haven't even looked, Cherie. They are fine."

"They aren't back yet, Amelie!" The voice got gruff, then went back to worried. "Why would they leave permanently?"

"If you hadn't visited them so often, Sombra wouldn't have found them." She replied coolly.

"Maybe if you hadn't insisted on killing them, we could have protected them."

"They weren't alive, Mon Cherie." She corrected. Lucio was very lost in the conversation, a frown forming.

"I'm not your Cherie."

"The other options were putting them up for adoption or keeping them, and we both know how keeping them would have worked out: a bullet in our heads." The pieces suddenly clicked: they were talking about kids. Lucio fully frowned, walking into his room. He wasn't sure what to think: everything he knew about them just made it more confusing. They hated each other, argued all the time when they could actually stand each other long enough to be in the same room together. How could they have kids? He pulled out his phone, checking his text messages. There was one from Antoine.

"Any luck w/ Locarno?"

"No. Won't reply, and I filled his mail."

"Not good. What r u going 2 do?"

"Don't know. Txt u when I have news."

"Got it. Don't worry, Lucio. He'll turn up: always does."

"I know." Lucio sighed, rubbing his eyes. His phone suddenly chimed. He looked at it quickly. It was a text from a blocked number. He frowned, looking at it.

"Hola, amigo."

"Who is this? I think u have the wrong #."

"I know what happened to Locarno." Lucio stopped breathing. He shakily texted back,

"Who is this?"

"I'm Sombra." Lucio frowned. Hadn't he just heard Widow mention a Sombra?

"Where's Locarno?"

"Relax, amigo. He's fine…I'm keeping a close eye on him." *Who's is this?*

"I want to talk to him."

"You really can't make demands, amigo. Leave Overwatch. Now. I'll be in touch."

"Where's Locarno?!" He texted back. There was no reply. He was panicking, then took a deep breath. *If she had him for real, she would've let me talk to him. Unless she thinks we have some kind of code or something. Oh, what do I do? I have to keep him safe, but I just joined like a month ago.* Lucio frowned again, worried beyond belief. He suddenly got another text. He had the message open in seconds.

"Got new phone. Sorry haven't texted. With 3 friends. Don't worry."

"Locarno, where r u? Who r ur friends? Is one Sombra?" Lucio texted faster then he had ever done.

"Relax. Sombra isn't anywhere near us. Friends are Alice, Arach, and Mortica."

"Those names sound more dangerous than Sombra. R u ok?"

"I'm fine. Relax, old man! I'll txt u deets l8r." A series of smiling emojis followed, and Lucio sighed in relief. Then he got angry. *Reaper knows something about this woman. If she can get to Locarno, who knows what else she can do?* He jumped up, banging on Reaper's door loudly. The man in black clothing opened the door, looking angry. Lucio didn't care.

"What do you want?"

"Who's Sombra?" Reaper froze.

"…How did you hear that name?" Lucio turned red, angrier than he'd ever felt towards anything but Vishkar Industries.

"Who is it?!" Reaper grabbed his shoulder, dragging him to Soldier's office. Lucio didn't resist, but did get the sensation of going to the principal's office. Reaper burst in the door without warning, Soldier jumping in surprise in front of his punching bag.

"Reaper, what the hell?!" Soldier demanded, looking annoyed.

"Happy here wants to know who Sombra is." Reaper growled, anger pouring off both intruders in waves.

"…How did you hear that name?" Soldier asked exactly how Reaper had asked earlier.

"Whoever it is just threatened someone very close to me! Who is it?" Lucio demanded.

"…A talon agent." Soldier stated. Reaper looked at him in silence.

"With that kind of skill and your tone? Try again." Lucio stated, done with the secrets.

"Who did she threaten?" Soldier asked. Lucio hesitated, turning a light pinkish color.

"…Someone who's very close to me. He's somewhat safe now, but that's not the issue here! Who is Sombra?" Reaper stated bluntly,

"She controls Talon. What did she want?" Soldier looked at Reaper in frustration.

"She wanted me to leave Overwatch. I was freaking out over it when I got a text from him saying he was fine and with 3 friends." Both of them seemed to frown, questioning,

"…Who?"

"I didn't know them. Alice, Mortica, and…I have no idea how to pronounce it…Erik? A-rack?" Lucio explained quickly, starting to pace.

"Arach, like Arachnid." Reaper corrected automatically, looking at Soldier through his mask. Lucio wasn't sure what was going on between the commanders as they stared intently. Lucio interrupted the silent conversation in frustration, muttering to himself.

"How did she find him? He's the best at what he does."

"And what does he do?" Soldier asked, arms crossed.

"Um…" Lucio blushed, chuckling nervously. "He…"

"I'm a murderer, he's a vigilante. What does he do?" Reaper asked forcibly.

"He's a troublemaker…a thief, to be exact…" Lucio explained nervously, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"That explains a lot…" Soldier muttered to himself. *No, it doesn't.*

"Whoever this guy is, he's fine." Reaper stated.

"How do you know that?!" Lucio demanded.

"Because Alice contacted us earlier." Soldier stated. "Don't worry about him. They'll be fine." Lucio said,

"How can't I worry about him? He's with 3 strangers, someone named Sombra just threatened him, and now you're not telling me anything!"

"Trust us on this: he's fine." Soldier assured Lucio, practically shoving him out of the room.

"How do you know that?!" Lucio demanded. He got no response, the voices inside the room too quiet for him to hear clearly. He cursed in Portuguese, walking back to his room.


	13. Target Practice

Tracer looked around the base, worried. She hadn't seen Lucio for a few days, which wouldn't be odd if Reaper and Soldier had left Soldier's office in that time. Every time she passed the office, she could hear whispers, but nothing loud enough to make out clearly. Combined with Lucio's sudden absence, it was starting to worry her. She paused at Lucio's door, knocking quietly. Reinhardt was leaving his room at the same time, and paused by Lena, confused.

"Greetings, my friend! What is the matter?!"

"Have you seen Lucio? He's disappeared."

"Oh! He went to…the firing range or the training room! I can't remember which!"

"Thanks, luv! I owe you one!" Lena shouted as she raced off.

"I'll add that to the list!" She opened the training room: no Lucio, though Zarya and Bridgette were sparring. She went to the firing range next. She saw a stranger inside. His hair was dangling down to his shoulders, shotgun in his hands as he was firing at the targets. He was Portuguese, and was wearing a green tank, with an odd device over his legs. Tracer suddenly recognized him as Lucio, and ran up to him in worry.

"Lucio? What's wrong? You look awful!"

"Oh. Hey, Lena." He said cheerfully, hair getting in his face as he turned to face her. "Just getting out some aggression, really."

"I haven't seen you for 3 days, luv!" Lucio's smile faded.

"I, uh…just left my room recently. Mei's been nice enough to bring me some veggies and ramen. 3 times a day, like clockwork." He chuckled quietly.

"What happened?"

"Oh, I got threatened by someone named Sombra. She threatened someone really close to me, told me to leave Overwatch. I told Soldier and Reaper after getting a text saying he was okay. they would only tell me he's fine and Sombra runs or works for Talon. Whoever Sombra is, she could find someone regular police can't." He chuckled quietly. "Makes me wonder if they're working for Talon, honestly."

"No way, they-well, Soldier, at least-wouldn't." Lena corrected. "What do you know about her?"

"Either Portuguese or Spanish: just texted, so could be trying to fool me into thinking that. I have no idea who it is, and they threatened someone really close to me."

"…Who?" Lucio looked Lena in the eyes.

"His name's Locarno. Like the Pokémon?"

"Oh, yeah. I remember that one." Lucio nodded with a small smile.

"Well, he's been texting me every day now. He keeps saying he and some of his friends are 'getting closer'. I don't know what that means, and when I asked, he just said 'you'll see'. Kinda menacing, honestly."

"Did you tell the commanders?"

"Why? They don't tell me anything, not even when it could protect someone I care about a lot." Lucio said bitterly, firing the shotgun into a target.

"…What happened to your sonic gun?" Lena asked, honestly worried for her friend.

"It's back in my room. I just needed…something violent, I guess." Lucio put the safety on. "Now I've gotten it out, though, so I'm good."

"…Are you sure, luv?" Lena questioned.

"As sure as I'll be." Lucio stated, putting the gun away. Lena looked at the target in curiosity. It had shots all over it.

"You're not that good an aim, are you?" Lucio chuckled.

"No, I'm not. That's why I use non-destructive weapons in combat. Don't want to hurt someone I work with. I heard you're not much better."

"Not really, but that's why I use rapid fire weapons! Hey, where'd you hear that from?"

"McCree. He was in here a while ago when I first started. I think he said, 'you should do target practice with Lena. She might actually win once'." Lena fake-scoffed in indignation. "I challenged him, and he said no…how's his aim?"

"I…don't know. Give me a second. Athena, luv?" Lena said into a voice activation box on the wall.

"Yes, Miss Oxten?" Athena asked. Lucio didn't seem surprised, but did look interested.

"What's McCree's weapon accuracy?"

"For today or over the course of his career?"

"His career, please." Athena paused.

"His overall weapon accuracy for his stay in Overwatch is 99 percent." Lucio choked. Even Lena was surprised.

"…Are you sure, luv?"

"Yes."

"I knew he never seemed to miss, but wow…" Lena muttered.

"There's no way. That's impossible, unless he's only shot at close range like, 89 times!" Lucio protested.

"Do you know how many times he fired his weapons?" Lena asked to be sure of the facts.

"Not overall, but I know he has fired his weapons in this room approximately 20,000 times, usually in the early morning." Lena was shocked silent.

"…Remind me not to get in a shooting match with him, then." Lucio stated, eyes wide. Lena nodded. "So, what have you found out?"

"…Well, I know Talon caused the Switzerland explosion. Reaper didn't know that until 4 and a half months ago, hence why he hates Talon, but that's about it."

"Well, I know Reaper and Widow have at least one kid…I think." Lena choked.

"What?!" Lucio nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it's weird, but I heard them arguing about it through Reaper's door. He sounds worried, she doesn't seem to care."

"Of course not. She doesn't feel anything." Lena said bitterly.

"Okay, you have past experiences with her." Lucio observed.

"She killed a lot of my friends, and someone I really respected, almost causing another Omnic Uprising in London. Reaper started hunting down most of my friends, but he was confused, so I can forgive him eventually, but Widow…I can't trust her, not after all that." Lena explained, saddened by the reminder of all her dead friends.

"Alright." Lucio shrugged, unsure what to say to help Lena.

"It's fine. Sorry about being a downer." Lena smiled through her anger. "So Reaper and Widow have a kid, Talon blew up Switzerland HQ, and someone called Sombra works with them…that's progress."

"Yes, it is. Want to take a break from being Sherlock and play some games?"

"Only if I get another race!"

"Deal."


	14. Blackwatch

Tracer had beaten Lucio again, though it wasn't quite as definite. "You got faster!"

"I'll have to get a lot better if I want to beat you one day!" Lucio returned, back to his usual cheerfulness. "Oh, I meant to ask earlier, but other things happened. What was Ana doing in Nepal?"

"She was looking for one of our old members. I thought he had gotten killed, but apparently not. His name's Genji." Lena explained as she stretched, bouncing in place.

"Genji who?" Lena shrugged at Lucio question.

"He never told me his last name. You might have some luck with McCree asking about that: they were teammates." Lucio nodded, but Lena frowned. "Most of the Blackwatch members didn't share a lot about their past, honestly…Genji was just the most noticeable one to keep secrets." She shrugged, smiling again.

"Lena, you don't have to fake being cheerful around me. You get angry just like everyone else." Lucio stated casually.

"I know I don't have to fake it, but it's just easier that way." Lucio raised an eyebrow, but decided not to argue with the woman.

"Alright, but try not to bottle it forever. It doesn't end well for anyone." He raced off, looking around for McCree in curiosity. It seemed hardly anyone knew much about Blackwatch personnel, not even Morrison, which was odd enough on its own. Not even the UN investigating it had found much more than a couple names and a few raids they had done. He found McCree at the training room, just watching Bridgette train with Reinhardt.

"You can join in, Jessie!"

"I'd rather watch: I had my hind whipped enough." Jessie retorted, chuckling quietly. Jessie noticed Lucio standing in the doorway first, dazed by Bridgette's skills. She was not only keeping up with, but slowly overpowering the ancient knight. He shook it off, sitting by Jessie. "Howdy. What can I do for you?" Jessie took a drink of water calmly.

"I was curious about Blackwatch, honestly." Jessie swallowed the water slowly, evidently thinking.

"…Let's talk in my quarters, okay? Don't want to give Reinhardt a heart attack." Jessie stood up, straightening his hat.

"I'm loud, not deaf!" Reinhardt retorted in annoyance, grunting from impact.

"I know." McCree led Lucio into a trashed room. There were empty alcohol bottles and cigar ashes littered everywhere, but pretty much nothing else inside the double bed room.

"Um…how long was it since you cleaned your room?"

"3 days. Why?" Lucio looked at all the bottles of alcohol. There were enough for him to have drunk on for a month.

"Dude, you have an issue."

"So people keep telling me. What do you want to know, partner?" Lucio was concerned, but pushed passed it, figuring he should get answers now and ask about that later.

"So, I know you guys were mostly criminals…" McCree chuckled quietly, straightening his hat again.

"'Were' being the key word. Most of us joined to get away from that life."

"Like you?" McCree laughed.

"Nope. It was joining or go to jail for me. Figured it was a wake-up call more than anything else."

"Okay…Who's Genji?" McCree's smile faded.

"He was my partner till he died."

"I just heard he was alive, though?" Lucio stated, confused.

"Oh. Add another to the list, then." Jessie shrugged this off like nothing, leaving Lucio even more confused than before. He grabbed a whiskey bottle from underneath the bed, sighing. "Genji…he mentioned his last name once…Shinin? No, that ain't it…Shimada. That's it. He's a cool guy. First time we met, I called him a green cyborg ninja dude."

"…He's a cyborg ninja? That's awesome! How'd that happen?" McCree shrugged in uncertainty.

"Yeah, the doc had to patch him up. Never told me what happened, but I figure it has something to do with his family business, whatever they did. He has a good sense of humor, but pretty serious in reality. Too serious when we first met, but I don't think that was by choice: being almost killed tends to do that to people."

"…Wow. Um…" Lucio didn't know what else to say to that as McCree downed the entire bottle with ease. "…Well, I heard about some guy named Antonio-" McCree growled, slamming the bottle onto the ground, cutting Lucio off.

"That guy was a real piece of work, I'll tell you that. It wasn't a kill squad, even if that's the story the news says. Our mission was to get him out and into questioning. See if we could get some intel. Instead, Reyes put a gun to his skull and fired. It wasn't planned that way as far as I know. It wasn't officially sanctioned, either. Lots of things we did weren't officially allowed."

"…So Reyes broke the rules?" McCree choked on air, losing it. Lucio patted his back, concerned for the red-faced from laughter cowboy. He eventually recovered, gasping for breath. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Anyways, what rules? Blackwatch didn't walk the straight and narrow. In Reyes' words, we saw something wrong, we fixed it as we could, ignoring the red tape if necessary."

"…That makes sense." McCree frowned.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's the same thing my old team did against Vishkar, only your version was global, not local. Honestly, I don't know if it was bad or good."

"I always called it the grey zone. We did not-so-good things for good reasons. Most of the time. After all, everyone makes mistakes." McCree's tone changed as he fished out another bottle.

"Yeah, we do." Lucio admitted, standing up. "Well, thanks for answering some of my questions."

"That wasn't too many, Lucio." McCree stated, peering at the now empty bottle in his hand.

"I know. Just a lot to think about. Um, sleep well?" Lucio questioned, seeing McCree stand up.

"Oh, sure. Same to you, partner." Lucio walked out of the cowboy's room, entering his own. He closed the door, checking his phone for more messages. There was a new one from Locarno.

"they want 2 know how i know u." Lucio frowned.

"Tell the truth. U ok?"

"yeah. don't worry. almost there." Lucio sighed in annoyance, typing,

"Where is there?"

"u'll c. phone dying. txt l8r. lov u." Lucio growled in frustration, but typed back,

"Lov u 2." *At least he's talking to me again.*


	15. Issues

Tracer was practicing her aim when Reinhardt appeared, looking worried.

"Lena, could I talk to you?!" She paused, putting her pistols away.

"Sure, luv! What's up?"

"Have you seen McCree?" Lena frowned.

"Not recently, no. Why?"

"He said he would give Bridgette some lessons yesterday, but he never showed up! When I knocked on his door, there was no answer!"

"Did you ask Reaper, or check the cafeteria?"

"Ja! He's not there, and Reaper just scoffed and walked away!" Lena frowned.

"I haven't seen him in almost 3 days…you don't think he…"

"Nein, he wouldn't leave without telling someone." Reinhardt dismissed.

"I'll help you look for him. I'll check his room: I know you don't like going in there. You start on the courtyard. I remember him going over there sometimes."

"Of course! Thank you, Lena!"

"No problem, Reinhardt." Lena raced off, knocking on McCree's door loudly. No sound came from inside. Lena frowned. *There's no way he wouldn't respond to a knock that loud…*

"Looking for the bouvier?" Lena jumped, facing a blank-faced Widowmaker.

"I didn't see you there! Oh…" Her heart slowly stopped racing. "…Who is… that?"

"Jessie McCree." Widow clarified.

"Um…yes, I am. Do you know where he is?"

"Non." She walked away, and Lena could have sworn she had a small grin on her face.

"Are you sure you haven't seen him?" Widow didn't pause, calling calmly.

"The last time I saw him, he was talking to Lucio."

"Do you know what about?" Lena called, hopeful that Widowmaker had an idea of where he was.

"Non." Her hope was shattered with those 2 words, and Lena huffed, opening the door to McCree's room. Rows of whiskey bottles, a large pile of cigar ash, and McCree completely laying still on his bed, holding his hat in his hands, met her eyes.

"Oh, no…" She rapidly shook McCree. "Luv? Luv, wake up!" He grumbled nonsense, and Lena sighed in relief. "McCree, wake up!"

"Whazzgonnan?" He ripped a massive yawn.

"Oh, thank goodness! Luv, you scared me to death!" McCree winced.

"Mind…lowering the volume a bit? I got a headache…" Lena sat on his bed next to him, heart pounding.

"Too many scares, luv…" She surveyed the room, seeing more bottles than she thought possible. "McCree, have you been sober at all since you left Overwatch?"

"Course I have." He muttered, setting his hat on his head as he stretched.

"…When?" Lena asked, his actions saying the complete opposite.

"When I ran out of whiskey." He stated truthfully, standing up and starting to clean. Lena stayed sitting, pulling her legs up so McCree could clean easier.

"Luv, I think you should talk to someone."

"I'm fine." Lena went quiet for a little bit, then said,

"I haven't seen you in 3 days. Reinhardt said you missed a training session with Bridgette. McCree, that's not fine."

"I'm dealing with it, then."

"What's wrong?" He stopped, looking towards the wall away from Lena.

"I don't know. Maybe the fact all my old team is either dead or lied to me about being dead. Maybe it's the fact one of the people who killed my old team is living with us in the same base, and no one can tell me why. Maybe it's the fact that I'm the only one who seems to care about it." Lena turned red in anger.

"You're not the only one who lost people, mate. Drowning yourself in whiskey isn't going to bring them back." He whirled around, anger clear.

"Neither is pretending everything's fine! We are working with 3 dead folks: 2 mass murderers who worked with our enemy, 2 Junkers who stole from everyone in the world, not even getting into specifics! That's as far from the Highway of Fine you can get!"

"You think I'm not angry?!" Lena shouted, bright red. McCree didn't reply, but his face answered for him. "I'm pissed! I haven't seen my girlfriend in person in 5 years. I'm pretty sure she's moved on, thinking I'm dead or not coming back. I want to go home, but I can't, because I'm wanted! And the commanders aren't even telling me why! But I can't do my job, drowning in everything that's gone wrong." She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I don't know what you've had to do. Frankly, I don't want to. But I know drinking and smoking yourself to death isn't going to change it."

"I know." McCree interrupted, sitting down heavily. "Sorry, Lena. I know this ain't easy for any of us. I just want to forget sometimes, go back to when I wasn't so…me." He generalized. "I shouldn't have said all that."

"It's fine. We both were upset." Lena smiled warmly, but was still hurting from his words. She took a deep breath, then remembered Reinhardt. "Reinhardt is still looking for you!"

"Don't worry. I'll handle him. Get some sleep, Lena. You look like a cat that got thrown in a river." Lena chuckled sheepishly. She hadn't slept in ages.

"That's probably accurate, even though I have no idea why someone would throw a kitty into a river…" McCree shrugged.

"Something a friend used to tell me." He walked out, yawning again. Lena called, racing out,

"I…I think you should talk to Angela about your…" McCree rubbed his head.

"It's fine."

"Mate…"

"Fine. I'll talk to her." He conceded, going to walk onwards. Lena grabbed his shoulder, turning him around to face her.

"Promise?" Lena asked, looking at him sternly. He winced, shifting.

"…I swear on my life I'll talk to her about it, okay?"

"Okay." Lena accepted that, knowing McCree had yet to break a promise. She walked off to the firing range to continue her target practice. She was surprised to see Widow there, cleaning her gun. The emotionless woman looked at Tracer.

"Did you find him?"

"Um, yes…what are you doing here?"

"I am cleaning my gun. Is that not clear?" Lena shook her head in dismissal.

"No, that is, but…why not in your room?" Widow smiled faintly, standing up.

"Tell me, did you ever think to ask Soldier why he dislikes Reaper?"

"N…no?" Lena questioned.

"Interesting." Widow walked out at that. *What was that about? Ignore her: she's just trying to confuse you.* Lena went back to practicing, questions rapidly bouncing around her mind.


	16. Webs

Lucio was walking to Dr. Zeigler's office to ask about the commanders. Lena had told him they had been close a few years ago, and he didn't really want to get Reaper any more upset than usual, and Soldier probably wouldn't answer him even if he did ask. He paued at the door, hearing voices inside.

"I don't know what went wrong, Gabriel-"

"You used an untested medical device that was supposed to regenerate cells on a half-crushed, recently deceased cadaver. What did you think would happen?" Came a pointed reply. Lucio recognized Reaper's voice instantly, though he sounded much more sarcastic and rage-filled than usual.

"I used something I had access to trying to save a friend." The doctor replied, sounding sadder than upset about Reaper's tone. Lucio heard a loud scoff.

"Should've hired Moira."

"She was unethical and cruel!" The doctor sounded more indignant now. "And no regard for human life or morals!"

"And how much of her research have you used to try to 'fix' me?" Silence fell. "Thought so."

"I didn't ask you to come here to talk about a dead scientist." The doctor sounded brisker and more professional now, but Lucio wasn't deaf to the pain in her voice.

"What do you want?" Reaper's voice was more annoyed than upset now.

"I was hoping I could continue testing your cells."

"No." Lucio shuddered at the firm, low growl.

"Gabriel, I'm trying to help you."

"I'm used to being this. Goodbye, Angela." Lucio went to leave, but heard a worried,

"Gabriel-"

"Don't Touch Me." Lucio froze at the furious growl. "You did enough of that already." Lucio barely managed to enter the next-door room before Reaper exited the medical office. The bringer of death walked passed his hiding spot without stopping. He leaned against the door, sighing in relief. *I'm pretty sure that guy would kill me if he found me eavesdropping again…* He heard a soft sigh behind him, whirling around to see Widow watching him calmly. He froze, staring at the woman in the eyes.

"You either have the misfortune to overhear many of Gabriel's personal conversations, or you have a wish for death to do so."

"It's completely on accident that I start hearing them, then I get curious…What are you doing in…" Lucio trailed off, noticing what room they were in. There were clean, metal slabs on tables, surgical tools carefully put away, and large doors lined up neatly inside the walls. It was about 10 degrees cooler inside, and Lucio went pale. "…a morgue…?"

"Does it make you nervous?" She asked, head tilted slightly. He noticed she was leaning against one of the metal slab tables, staring at him calmly.

"…Kind of…" She straightened, coming closer. Lucio backed away as best he could, becoming every uncomfortable.

"There's dead people everywhere." Lucio gulped quietly as she got within a foot of him. "They just don't know it yet."

"…What does that-" A knife was to his throat, his back pressed against the wall in seconds.

"One slip of this, and you die." She was whispering now, looking excited. "I control your every action. In this instance, I can kill you with little effort. It's a fascinating thing, life. So fragile, yet people cling to it." Lucio felt his heart start pounding in his ears and the knife came closer. She flipped it upward, catching something floating in the air. "You missed a hair while shaving." She retracted, throwing the hair away. Lucio's heart was still pounding. "Calm down. If I was going to kill you, you'd be dead much earlier than this." He thought there was a hint of humor in her voice, but he was too flustered to really notice.

"Um…T-thanks?" Lucio stated, rubbing his neck as he slowly recovered. "…S-seriously, why are you alone in the morgue? Why is there even a morgue here?"

"The Colorado Watchpoint was for training purposes, both for field and medical."

"Okay, that explains that part, and a lot of weird things about this place, but why were you hanging out in the morgue?"

"It helps me sleep." Millions of questions popped in Lucio's mind, but he decided not to pursue any answers about this terrifying woman. "Other questions?"

"…I know you worked with Reaper, but do you know anything about Soldier and his relationship, or hatred, or whatever you can call it?" Widow frowned briefly.

"Personality conflict. They want the same thing, but have different methods of getting it."

"…So what do they want?" Widow smiled lightly, making Lucio somehow more uncomfortable than when her face was blank of emotion.

"World peace. Currently, their method of getting there is destroying Talon, along with many personal issues with the organization."

"…So what do you want?" Her face went completely blank.

"The world is going to collapse inwards soon."

"…What?"

"Overwatch is supposedly reforming to destroy Talon, yet there have been no raids or attacks since you have arrived. Secrets only last so long, monsieur Santos. We will have to pick a side soon: Overwatch or family." She began walking out when Lucio said,

"If that's the choice, what was yours?" Widow chuckled darkly.

"I have never had a choice, monsieur. I do what is required: nothing more, nothing less."

"So what side are you on?" She paused slightly.

"…You will find out. I wonder what you will choose?"

"I don't know yet. Depends on what the truth tells me." Widow chuckled.

"The truth is relative. It depends on your perspective, and what you want to believe. I recall that's what you do with Locarno, after all." Lucio had the woman against the wall in seconds, anger flashing.

"How do you know about him?!" Widow frowned, but didn't reply. "I haven't told anyone but Lena, Soldier, and Reaper about him. How do you know about him?" Widow shook her head in disappointment. Lucio wasn't sure if it was directed at him or her own thoughts.

"I worked with Talon. I know about your relationship with him, and I know what happened. I thought I was heartless until I heard you sent your own son to Juvenile Hall." Lucio decked her in the face, anger erupting.

"You don't what the hell you're talking about, lady. Mind your own business." She was stunned, then wiped blood away from her lip. She then smiled even more creepily, making Lucio doubt her sanity.

"The one thing a fly should never say to a spider."


	17. Nightwatch

Tracer was laying in her bed, trying to sleep. Her thoughts were whirling around, and she eventually just sat up, grumbling in annoyance. *I'll nip around the base really quick. I always sleep better knowing everyone's safe.* She threw on a jacket, it being unusually cold, and began walking around. She entered the cafeteria, and wasn't surprised to see Winston getting a snack. She didn't say hi, continuing to walk around. Reaper was in the training room, which did surprise Tracer. She paused in the doorway, watching him execute the entire thing with ease.

"Wow…I knew you were good, but that's amazing!" He looked at her in annoyance.

"Level 30." Lena felt her eyes widen. She was still on level 18. She quickly vanished from his eyesight. *Okay, I am officially scared of him.* She passed the courtyard, and found Bastion beeping towards his bird friend and a few other animals around. She thought she saw a larger figure on the other side of the courtyard, but it disappeared almost as soon as she saw it. Frowning, she entered the courtyard.

"Hello?" She peered into the dark area in apprehension, then jumped as Roadhog appeared less than 5 feet from her. "Oh! You startled me…McCree wasn't joking about you being quiet. Are you looking for something?" He nodded, putting his hand at Lena's head level. "Oh, that guy you're always around?" Roadhog nodded. "If I see him, I'll tell him you were looking for him." He nodded again, walking off. "I still don't know if he's mute, doesn't like talking, or if that other bloke is the only one who can understand him…" She shrugged it off, continuing onwards. As she passed the science lab, she heard a shout,

"You can't just disassemble him!" *That's Mei.* Lena knocked on the door. It swung open, and she barely managed to get out of the way.

"What's it matter if I take apart some tin can…" The smaller Junker muttered, looking frustrated.

"Oi, mate?" He turned, frowning briefly.

"Oh, it's you." He said casually, scratching his head.

"…Do we know each other?" She asked, unsure.

"We met in London. I think you took Mako's crown." Lena frowned, thinking back.

"Oi, that was you two?!"

"Yeah." The man just shrugged, and Lena stared in amazement.

"…What's your actual name?" He frowned, scratching his elbow.

"…Don't remember. Everyone calls me Junkrat."

"How don't you remember your own name?" Lena asked in confusion.

"Well, when everyone calls you something, you try remembering your name." He muttered, beginning to walk away. "Oh, it's Jamison."

"Well, it was nice to meet you outside of chasing you through King's Row, Jamison. I think your mate is looking for you." Jamison frowned, then cursed.

"I forgot completely!" He raced off. *Forgot about what?* Lena shrugged, entering the science lab to see Mei comforting Snowball.

"What happened, luv?"

"That Junker tried to scrap Snowball!"

"What?!"

"Jamison claims he thought Snowball was broken. I know better!" Mei growled, double-checking Snowball's systems in worry. "I don't even know how he got in here: the door was locked!"

"…Why are you in here?" Mei turned a pinkish tint as Snowball giggled.

"…I may have fallen asleep in the lab again…"

"Mei, you know that's not good for you."

"There's so much to do here, Lena. Someone has to do it, and I can't expect Winston to do it all."

"True, but you should go to your room and sleep. I'm just walking around beforehand." Mei nodded, but set her endothermic blaster on the table.

"I just want to check this really quick. Jamison said he 'altered it'." Mei pulled off the top, and a loud pop sounded. Lena flinched, closing her eyes in expectation. Nothing happened, and Lena slowly opened her eyes. Mei was standing there, covered in glitter and shredded paper. She coughed lightly, pulling off her glasses to clean them. Lena barely contained her laughter.

"…I am going to kill Jamison. Or freeze him for 7 months."

"Luv, it was just a joke, and it was funny."

"…I'm still going to freeze him."

"I guess that's fair, but that was funny." Mei quietly cleaned her glasses, and headed out, the small bundle of rage still covered in glitter. Lena let out a snort, then continued on. She heard clattering in the morgue, and froze outside it. *Please tell me I imagined that…* A much louder thud sounded, and Lena ran right to Commander Morrison's office. "Sir? Are you awake?"

"Enter…?" He sounded confused, and Lena came into the room, pale.

"I heard noises in the morgue." He looked at her in mild annoyance.

"It is almost 11:30. You're imagining things."

"I still heard it."

"Fine. 27 years old, and I'm checking out a monster in the closet…" He grumbled, opening the morgue in annoyance. To their surprise, Lucio had Widow in a chokehold, his shoulder sticking out unnaturally. "…What are you 2 doing?!" Lucio released Widow slowly, rage pouring off of him.

"Keep her away from me. Is Angela still awake?"

"No. Come here." Soldier firmly grabbed his shoulder, ramming his arm back into position. Lucio grunted, but just walked away. Widow wiped blood away from her nose, resetting her own jaw calmly. "What. Happened?" Soldier asked forcibly.

"A friendly conversation." Widow stated casually, walking away. Soldier grabbed her shoulder.

"That's not good enough. You were fighting IN THE MORGUE." She twisted his arm off her shoulder.

"I don't work for you." She walked away with a blank face.

"…Keep them separate." Soldier stated.

"…What happened between them? Lucio hasn't reacted that strongly anyone. At all!" Lena asked, bewildered.

"No clue, and I would rather not know." Lena frowned.

"I'll keep them separate, commander." Lena walked away, straight to Lucio's room. She knocked quietly. "Lucio? Are you in there?"

"Yeah, uh, come in." She did so carefully. She found Lucio rubbing his eyes dry.

"Resetting dislocated bones always hurts, right?" She joked lightly.

"Heh. Not what I was crying about, but thanks for trying."

"What's wrong?"

"Widowmaker said something, and now I'm worried that it's true." Lena shook her head.

"Don't. Whatever she said, it's not true. She's a manipulator, a good one. She can twist your emotions any way she wants: don't let her. I do really need to sleep, though."

"…Thanks. Goodnight, Lena."

"Night, Lucio."


	18. Suggestions

Lucio hesitantly knocked on Soldier's door. "Enter." He complied, rotating his shoulder to relax it. "How's that shoulder doing?" Soldier was standing at his punching bag again, but faced the door to talk to Lucio.

"It's fine, just a little…" He trailed off, noticing Reaper was also in the room, sitting this time. "Sore…Hey, Reaper."

"Hi." Came the bland statement. Lucio couldn't tell if he just didn't care or was thankful for Lucio's interruption.

"What's up, Lucio?"

"I was wondering if you were accepting ideas for possible recruits…" Soldier frowned.

"Do you know someone?"

"Not personally, but I think she'd be glad to join." Lucio shrugged.

"Who?" Reaper asked, tone not changing. Lucio decided he was just calmer than usual.

"Um, her name's Hana Song, but everyone calls her-"

" ?" Reaper interrupted, sounding incredulous.

"…Never took you for a fan of her." Lucio said, surprised.

"I'm not." He growled, tone finally changing to one of annoyance.

"Hold on, who's ?" Soldier asked.

"…Morrison, really?" Reaper stated in complete annoyance.

"…How haven't you heard of her? I mean, I could understand not knowing her actual name, but do you really not know who is?" Lucio questioned, eyebrows raised.

"So who is she?" Soldier sighed.

"18-year-old, now about…31?" Reaper asked, not sure. Lucio was still surprised he knew who was in depth.

"Yes…"

"Korean war pilot. Best in the army, or so I've heard." Reaper muttered.

"She joined the Korean army at 18?"

"16, actually." Lucio corrected.

"…and how do people know her?"

"She's a streamer."

"…A what?" Lucio rubbed his forehead. *Okay, this guy has to be ancient.*

"She shares live videos of her battles, day-to-day life, charity video game player…have you literally never gone online? She's everywhere."

"…You want us to recruit a kid who videotapes everything?" Soldier asked in surprise.

"Makes sense. She's a good soldier, blew an Omnium 5 years ago with a team of 12, saving the entire east coast of Asia." Reaper observed.

"And people watched that?" Soldier questioned, perplexed.

"Well, yeah. It gives them hope that things can get better." Lucio explained.

"When I was a soldier, there was such thing as keeping your head in the battle." Soldier muttered.

"We'll talk about it. Out." Reaper sighed.

"Okay, then…" Lucio headed to the training room, where he punched in his code.

"Apologies, but McCree and Bridgette are currently training." Athena stated.

"…Can I watch?"

"An observing room is 3 doors down to the left. You may watch from there."

"Thanks." Lucio entered the mentioned room, watching in amazement as McCree expertly dodged Bridgette's strikes, knocking her off her feet more than once. "Wish I could hear what they're saying to each other."

"There are microphones in the training room. The button to hear is the farthest to the left."

"Oh. Thanks, Athena!"

"Of course." He listened to McCree giving quick tips to Bridgette, who absorbed his insight like a sponge. They were training together for almost 4 hours before Bridgette gasped,

"Tap out! Oh…I haven't worked that hard since Papa found out I wanted to join!"

"Really? Don't train with Chemical Romance then."

"Who?"

"Pardon me. I meant Reaper. He's…a little rough around the edges."

"So I've heard. 10-minute break?"

"Sure. Want something to eat?"

"Yes, please! I'm starving!" Lucio's own stomach growled, and he began to head out of the observing room when Reaper was in the doorway. He jumped, breath stopping briefly. The wraith tossed him something, and Lucio caught it on reflex. He looked at it in confusion.

"…A bagel? With nothing on it…that's weird." Lucio stated honestly.

"You're welcome."

"Thanks, I guess…How did you know about 's real name if you aren't a fan?"

"Widow is." Lucio choked on the bagel. "Don't die. Hiding bodies is a pain."

"That lady is a fan of ?"

"Yeah." Lucio slowly ate as he processed this information.

"…So you helped train McCree?"

"I did train the ingrate." He corrected.

"I thought Overwatch members were trained in groups." Reaper chuckled.

"He was 15 when he joined." Lucio paused again, looking at Reaper in horror.

"…What did you put him through?"

"Apparently not enough. Still lost an arm, and still can't hide worth a d***."

"…He actually lost an arm?!" Reaper scoffed.

"You ask too many questions, kid."

"…I'm 36." Lucio stated. Reaper just shrugged.

"…That's Torb's kid, right?"

"I…don't know who Torb is." Reaper shrugged again.

"You won't meet him. Bridgette. Trained by Reinhardt for 10 years so far, with tips from other members. Still not worth s***." He began walking away at that, leaving Lucio surprised at him. He was always very distant, yet he had actively searched to find Lucio and hold a conversation with him? "Oh, yeah. You're going to recruit Hana Song."

"…Oh…thanks?"

"It leaves in 10 minutes." Lucio jumped up, rushing past Reaper. He had everything prepared in 5 minutes, used to having to move fast, and met Lena in the launch bay. He checked his phone. A new number had texted him.

"safe, don't worry. phones r almost dead. will charge asap. lov u."

"lov u 2. Txt ASAP when u charge phone."

"Will do." Lucio put his phone up, entering the plane. Lena called from the front,

"You can sit up here since there's only the 2 of us!" He complied, sitting down in the right seat. "…Luv, why did you attack Widow like that? I understand hating her, but why attack?"

"…She brought up Locarno. How did she even know about him? And then Reaper was acting weird today."

"How so?"

"He actually gave me something to eat. And talked to me without growling angrily. And was pretty chill around Soldier."

"…Either he was having a good day, or he's thinking about doing something."

"Or neither." Both Lena and Lucio jumped into the air as Reaper leaned in the doorway.

"…What are you doing?" Both asked in confusion.

"Korea has a nasty defense matrix. Talon uses a weak spot to get in." Reaper said bluntly.

"…You're navigating?" Lena asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Lucio hopped up. "Sit down." He complied after a pause. Silence reigned as Lena took off.


	19. Curious

Tracer was quiet as she flew, unsure what to say with Reaper so close to her and Lucio. Reaper didn't help ease the tension, standing right behind them, not making a sound. Lucio hesitantly asked,

"So…what happened in…" Lucio trailed off, and Lena continued,

"Yeah, what happened…in…um…" Reaper sighed in annoyance.

"In Talon?" Both nodded. "D*** it, you two. I get that I make you nervous, but this is ridiculous." Lena defended, turning a light red in embarrassment,

"Well, you dress in all black, you're always upset over something, and you are kind of creepy, Commander Reyes!" Lucio added quietly,

"The mask doesn't help any, either."

"You fought against Omnics all around the globe; you took down an entire company with a group of 5 people; and a guy dressed in black with a skull mask unnerves you?" He sighed in annoyance. They both nodded. He growled angrily. "Whatever. Talon was using me: I found out, I want them dead."

"…How were they using you? I mean, if anyone could be used, I'd think it would be Commander Morrison." Lena stated honestly, recalling how many times he had changed his viewpoint to match someone else's desires, while Reaper had always remained true to his personal views no matter what.

"He was, too. Talon was muddying the waters, turning both of us against each because of secrets, falsified reports. Add that to our personalities, things blew up."

"So it was an internal issue?" Lucio asked.

"No. Switzerland was blown by a Talon agent: I blamed Jack while he blamed me, and we only talked in person without going to blows 5 months ago."

"…That's over 15 years of issues, sir, and you just…talked it out?"

"No. I'm working with you to take out Sombra and Talon. Once they are gone, we'll see." Reaper stated, beginning to tap his foot.

"…What about Widow?" Lena asked hesitantly, still unsure why she was involved at all.

"Her? No clue."

"It's like Widowmaker is your wild card." Lucio observed.

"Yeah." Reaper growled. "Don't fly straight into Korea. North by 20 degrees." Lena complied.

"So, who exactly is Sombra?"

"She's a good hacker, blackmails everyone. Remember the missing prototype of your Chonoaccelerator?"

"Of course, I do! The investigators never found it." Lena cried, still annoyed at the device Winston had worked so hard on.

"That's because she stole it." Lena coughed.

"R-really? That means Talon had access to Overwatch bases and intel a long time before we got shut down, though!"

"Yeah. Still trying to figure out who the leak was. Wears a purple trench coat, heavy Spanish accent, calls everyone a friend, and pushes everyone's buttons." Lena froze.

"…I know that woman."

"…What?" Both Lucio and Reaper asked.

"I-I met her. Emily met her…Take over flying!" Lena exited the cockpit, dialing Emily. "Pick up, pick up…"

"Hello?" Lena got even more worried: Emily never left her phone anywhere.

"Is Emily Lindholm there?"

"Emily Lindholm is currently missing. Who is this?"

"Oh…" Lena hung up, unsure what to do. Reaper called,

"Who's Emily?" Lena returned to the pilot seat, dazed.

"…She's…Um, sorry. Emily Lindholm. She is Torbjorn's second oldest: Bridgette's sister…She's missing."

"Did anyone know you knew each other?"

"Only Torbjorn. She wasn't quite ready to…come out to everyone she knew. I didn't want to rush her."

"That's good." Reaper stated.

"How is that good? She's missing!" Lena shouted, horrified at how calm Reaper was about the situation.

"Sombra is using his family to threaten Torbjorn into not joining Overwatch again. Since she doesn't know about you dating, she can't threaten you, causing Emily's life to be in even more danger." Lena turned red, then paused.

"You mean Torbjorn's being threatened into not joining?"

"…You didn't know that?" He asked, looking confused.

"No, I didn't!" Lucio added,

"I still don't know who Torbjorn is, but I wasn't aware anyone was being threatened."

"D*** Jack…" Reaper growled. "Sombra thinks Overwatch isn't a threat. She's trying to keep as many people from joining as possible to limit her annoyances. South, 10 degrees."

"We've been fighting Talon for ages, though, and we've been doing well." Reaper scoffed.

"Really? You tried protecting Doomfist's gauntlet, which Talon got; you tried protecting the Omnics in London from an EMP, which failed; you tried taking down Vishkar Industries, who had ties to Talon. Succeeded in that, except Sombra and Doomfist wanted them gone: they got greedy. When have you had a win?" Lena began to protest, but paused. He was right: the only success they had had in years was raiding a Talon base after Soldier got involved, but they didn't get any intel at all from the attack.

"…"

"Yeah." Reaper said, recognizing her suddenly realization.

"Well, you got 14 permanent members, then you and Widowmaker involved now. Maybe you'll have better luck." Lucio added.

"…I hate your optimism." Reaper growled.

"I like it!" Lena said, smiling brightly. Even though her faith was starting to falter, seeing someone who genuinely believed they could do it had given her own a shot of adrenaline.

"Ugh…" Reaper groaned. "West, 30 degrees."

"Okay, we just went in a circle." Lena sighed.

"Right, now." Lena complied. "We're past all 3 barriers. Tallest building as a landing bay on top for free use in the city."

"…How do you know that?"

"Talon killed all 11 of 's team."

"You what?" Lena asked, horror growing again.

"Not me. Talon. I was briefed on it, but someone else was chosen. I was thinking more clearly, so they kept me after Overwatch members to keep me from thinking. They took out an Omnium. It took all of Australia to take out one, and Korea had a group of 12 take them out."

"…If the other 11 were…why wasn't ?"

"They couldn't do it privately. She films everything: there'd be evidence, and that's not the way Talon works."

"…How could you kill all of your old teammates?" Lena questioned, finally mustering the courage to ask.

"I got crushed under a 300-ton building, and was blamed for the destruction of said building. None of them stood up for me, and everything I saw and heard said they did it to me. What would you do?" Lena began to respond, but stopped. She couldn't actually answer. *What would I do?*


	20. Fan

Lucio left the cockpit after Reaper's question. The awkward silence was more than he could handle. He checked his phone again. There was a new message from a blocked phone.

"Hola."

"What do u want?"

"I want 2 make friends, amigo."

"U took Locarno. U threatened my friends. We r not friends."

"So rude." Lucio blocked the number: he didn't care anymore. She wouldn't catch Locarno again, and he had enough to worry about without some nasty Spanish woman texting him with idle conversation. A new blocked number appeared.

"So, so rude. I thought u were supposed to be a friendly guy." He didn't reply, putting his phone away. Reaper exited the cockpit, sitting next to the opening doors. He didn't attempt to talk to Lucio, and he was glad for it: the wraith was way too intense about everything. His phone went off again, and he checked what it was.

"… 's starting a stream. Oh, yeah. Today she was going to be streaming from her mom's house, 2-5."

"…How do you know that?" Reaper asked, pulling out a knife. It looked disturbingly familiar, but Lucio couldn't place where he had seen it.

"Oh, I set up alerts for when she goes on stream, and I watch as many as I can. I'm a fan."

"…She's another cheerful one." He growled, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah. People generally like cheerful people." Lucio shrugged. It suddenly clicked. "Hey, Widow had that same knife!" Reaper didn't reply, but he did pull out a sharpening stone, scrapping it against the blade smoothly but aggressively. "…Okay, then."

"We have landed!" Lucio suddenly thought of something.

"Isn't it kind of weird, you walking around in that?" Reaper just looked at him.

"I was just here to get you here."

"Nonsense!" Lena shouted, stretching as she left the cockpit. "You've got to try some of Korean cuisine! It's amazing!" He looked at her in annoyance. "Oh, yeah…um, have you seen-"

"If it will shut you up." He stood up, growling in annoyance. Lucio could have sworn he heard several pops, but Reaper didn't even react.

"Yay! It gets lonely on the plane, anyways!" Lucio led the way, looking around for the familiar building he'd seen in several streams. He found the building quickly, almost right next to the landing dock. He took a deep breath, then knocked. A busy looking woman opened the door, holding an 8 year old by the shoulder.

"Yeoboseyo?"

"Hey."

"Oh, you speak English. Are you 2 here to interview Hana?" She sent the young boy off into the house.

"No, but we do want to talk to her."

"Of course. Hana, have you started…filming yet?"

"Streaming, and yes!" Came the shout from across the house.

"Of course. You'll have to wait. I assume this isn't about Government hiring, considering the…mixed company." She glanced at a foot-tapping Reaper in apprehension. "Is this about her squadron?"

"No…" Lucio glanced at Reaper, not sure how to phrase it. Reaper stated,

"Less you know, safer you'll be."

"Saving the world, it is. Would you like some tea?" She said calmly, shouting something in Korean.

"No." Reaper stated rudely.

"I'd love some, Miss Song." Lucio said politely.

"Can't go wrong with a cuppa tea!" Lena said cheerfully. *She must be exaggerating for how uncomfortable Reaper made her.* Shouts in Korean filled the house, though didn't speak up in the conversations. All 3 of them got tea, Reaper taking it in exasperation. He didn't drink it, causing Lucio to think of an odd question.

"Um, how do you eat?"

"I take off the mask."

"…Why aren't you doing that?" He questioned. Reaper just looked at him. "Okay, then…"

"Oh, take a seat anywhere you'd like! Sorry."

"No worries!" Lucio smiled away the woman's concerns. Lena seconded his statement, while Reaper just remained standing. The mother walked off, continuing to shout in Korean. They sat quietly for about an hour when the woman came back, sighing.

"Naptime, the bane of my existence. Either they don't make it into bed, or they don't want to sleep…Um, you still have 2 hours to wait, if you want to sit." She said, noticing Reaper standing.

"I'm fine."

"…Okay." The wait went by slowly, but nothing really happened other than more shouts in Korean. They only saw the mother, but Lucio counted 5 voices in total. At exactly 5, the young woman came out, stretching.

"Okay, mom. What's up?"

"There are 3 people here to see you."

"If it's the Government asking about joining another team-LUCIO?!" shouted, looking surprised. "I love your albums! Can I get your autograph?"

"If I can get yours, but that's not way I'm here." Lucio answered, turning slightly red. *I can't believe 's a fan of mine!* The woman shook her, taking in the other 2. She singled Reaper into her eyesight.

"What's up?" *Not surprised she singled out the 'boss'.*

"Lucio wanted us to extend an offer to join Over-" She was next to Reaper in a second. Lucio saw him jerk slightly backwards in surprise at her sudden appearance, barely noticeable but there. "-Overwatch."

"I will, on one condition. My family stays safe."

"Got it." Reaper didn't even hesitate to say so. *Wouldn't he find it surprising to try and protect anyone, even if it is family?* "When can you get picked up?"

"I'll find you. Where's your base?"" said casually, as if she was planning on just visiting a friend, not joining an illegal operation. Hana's mother walked out of the room.

"Not supposed to hear this. I'd have to report it."

"Sorry, mom!" She called, turning back to Reaper. "So?"

"Great Mesa, Colorado. 39.0666° North, 107.9367° West." Reaper said quickly. Hana wrote down it just as fast.

"Got it. See you in a few weeks!" She said cheerfully, then got serious. "If my family gets hurt, I'm going to kill you."

"Not the first death threat I've gotten." He muttered. She turned to Lena.

"Sorry. I didn't introduce myself. Hana Song, AKA ."

"Lena Oxten, AKA Tracer. Nice to meet you."

"Same! I'm getting that autograph when I get there!" She said to Lucio.

"So am I! See you soon."


	21. Answers

Tracer had flown back, and almost immediately entered her room, thinking. *Reaper seemed really confused that I didn't know about Torbjorn's situation. He didn't even seem to mind answering some of my questions. Yet every time I ask Commander Morrison, he just says it's better I don't know or some sot like that. How do I get a straight answer from either of them? Whenever Reaper answers my questions, he confuses me even more, and Soldier won't answer! I can't do my job if I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing! That's it!* She hopped up, taking a deep breath, and walking straight to Commander Morrison's office. She heard muffled arguing going on inside.

"She didn't even know about Torb! Why would you keep something like that a secret?"

"It's better to keep their spirits up than say something like that. Besides, it wasn't pertinent to anyone but Bridgette." Soldier stated calmly. She heard a very annoyed Reaper hiss,

"It's better to give them a reason to keep fighting then keep them in the dark about everything!" She took a steadying breath, not expecting both commanders to be inside, and knocked.

"Enter." She complied.

"Sirs, I need answers." Soldier looked up in surprise. "I know Talon used you both, I don't know why. I don't know how you worked things out, I don't even know how we're fighting Talon! What's going on?" Soldier looked at her in shock, while Reaper looked as if he had been expecting this reaction.

"…I don't follow, Ox-" Tracer turned a light red.

"Don't lie to me. 6 months ago, you disappeared for 3 weeks. Your communicator was shut off: no one knew where you had gone. When you got back, you started acting a lot more secretive, much less trusting." Reaper and Soldier seemed to frown. *He didn't think I'd been paying that much attention.* "3 months ago, you let Reaper and Widow join, no questions asked, no explanations given."

"I told you-"

"They want to destroy/kill Talon. That's not an answer, sir. You both keep sending us after new and old members, saying it's to fight Talon. Except we haven't gone on a single raid in 8 months, and we haven't gotten any new information about Talon in over a year. We now have 15 members, not including Widow and Reaper, but you keep sending us after more. I need the truth, and if I don't get it, I'm walking away." Lena said shakily. *Oh, I hope they tell me the truth.* Both commanders stood there in shocked silence. Reaper shrugged.

"Well, Jack?" Soldier sighed in worry,

"Lena, I-"

"We." Reaper corrected in frustration.

"We-are keeping everyone in the dark to protect you-"

"Bull****." Reaper stated, looking at Soldier in some combination of surprise and annoyance.

"Excuse me?" Lena remained silent, knowing from seeing several bruises on McCree not to get between the two commanders.

"You're trying to protect them by keeping secrets from a blackmail-"

"You didn't do much better!"

"Oh, you want to compare past mistakes? What about not telling anyone you were alive?!"

"What about sleeping with an emotionless killer?!" Reaper punched Morrison right in the jaw. Lena's jaw dropped as Soldier lost his balance, almost falling backwards.

"Um, sirs, I didn't mean to start a-" Soldier tackled Reaper, and they went to blows instantly. She could see why they had been called super-soldiers: how she didn't see broken bones appear, she had no clue.

"Ahem." Lena jumped, turning to see Widow and Angela in the doorway. Widow seemed uninterested, but Angela was dumbstruck, jaw wide open. The fight slowed, then stopped. They both stood up, Jack's jaw starting to swell while Reaper didn't have any visible injuries.

"…This is exactly what caused us to collapse in the first place, and you're starting it again?!" Angela shouted, tears beginning to appear. Widow scoffed.

"Children." The sniper walked away. Soldier seemed embarrassed: Reaper didn't seem to care.

"I just wanted to know what was going on, not start a fight!" Lena stated, Angela walking away in tears. Reaper didn't reply.

"…I went too far, Gabe."

"Just answer the Brit's f****** questions, Jack." Reaper growled. Morrison hesitated, but sighed.

"Sombra controls about 53 percent of the world from what we know of. If we can take her out of the equation, most of Talon will disintegrate."

"Wow. So why haven't we done it?"

"I don't know where the main base is. Is Amelie does, she's not telling us. I only know where 8 of their bases general locations are, and one of those I took out myself." Reaper explained.

"And from what I've found out from making waves, they have one in at least every 3 countries. It's a real-life conspiracy."

"So how did you two work it out…somewhat?" Lena added, considering their fight not even 7 minutes ago. They both went quiet.

"It's personal, Lena. Really personal…let's say it was about family."

"Alright, I'll accept that. How are we working against Talon?"

"Right now, we're getting as much support as we can get with the…less experienced members, like Bridgette, Lucio, Winston…you." Soldier said hesitantly.

"The non-commander members." Lena observed.

"Yeah."

"I don't take offense to that: compared to you lot, we are."

"Ana, Reinhardt to an extent, Reaper, and me are trying to shake down as much information as we can get. Widow will take the information we have, but she blatantly refuses to give any of her own information to us." Soldier said.

"Okay, then why is she still here?"

"I think she will eventually." Reaper stated bluntly. *Reaper being optimistic. I'll take any form of that.*

"Okay. One more question, promise. Why did you hide all that for so long? I doubt any of us would back out after finding all this out." Morrison rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm used to delegating information to drafted soldiers, not volunteers. The concept of open informational flow is…still new to me."

"I just didn't care if you knew or not, and for some reason, I doubted Jack would hide everything from his team."

"You hid things from your team."

"I hid personal details, not things that threatened the mission if they didn't know."

"Antonio." Soldier stated bluntly. Reaper growled, and Lena slowly backed out of the office, not wanting to witness another blown-out argument.


	22. There

Lucio was talking to Angela. "So you've been working all over in relief efforts?"

"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity mostly. I know a little medical knowledge myself, though I'm definitely not a professional."

"Oh. Did you go to school for that?" Lucio chuckled lightly.

"Couldn't afford it, but I read as many books and practice it as much as I can."

"Well, if you want to learn more, I still have all my books from school. Just ask."

"Thanks, Angela. I'd love to-" His phone went off, and he answered it, not bothering to check the number. "Hello, Hello. Lucio speaking."

"Hey, pops." Lucio frowned. *He never calls.*

"Sorry, I've got to take this." He walked out casually, checking the number: it was blocked. *Oh, no.*

"Hola, amigo. You shouldn't have been so rude." Lucio couldn't reply, his throat closing up. The thought of Locarno being in danger snapped him out of it.

"If you so much as touch him, I swear on my mother's grave, I will kill you." He said it monotonously, meaning every word of his simple threat.

"Why would I hurt him when you'll do everything…" Lucio's phone chimed. He checked it out of habit, staying on the line with Sombra. It was a single text:

"hey. we r there. lov u." Lucio laughed out loud.

"Que?"

"You're a liar and a coward, Sombra." He hung up, and dialed the number that had just texted him. A woman answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Wrong number, sorry."

"No problem." Lucio hung up, texting instead. He yawned, walking back into Angela's office.

"Luv u 2. Where is there?" He texted back, saying,

"Sorry for stepping out, Angela. Wrong number."

"Of course…" She sounded confused, making Lucio look up. She was staring out the window. His phone went off again, and he looked down.

"Look out ur window." He frowned, but complied. A man with taped-up green glasses was waving at him. He was dark-skinned, green eyed with short, care-free black hair, with smooth muscles covering him. The man chuckled at Lucio's dumbfounded face, and Lucio's phone went off again. "Told u u'd find out." Lucio rushed out of the base, swinging around the corner to the generator wall and wrapping the man up in a hug.

"Look at how big you got! Are you okay, Locarno?"

"Pops, I'm fine!" He laughed, pushing Lucio away. Lucio retracted, smile wider than ever before.

"That's good! I got your text just as some lady was fooling me into thinking she had you, and I was scared out of my mind! How you even get here from Brazil?!" Locarno rubbed his head, gesturing to the side. Lucio's eyes saw 3 strangers that seemed familiar. The oldest by far was a girl as tall as Lucio with blonde hair, blue eyes who was shifting in place, clearly feeling very awkward. "Sorry, I didn't notice you. I'm Lucio." He offered his hand, and the girl took it calmly.

"Alice Morrison." He paused, a frown flashing briefly, but he nodded in understanding, back to smiling. His son was safe. He took in the 2 at the same time: one was a boy and the other was a girl. They looked identical: black hair, brown eyes, dark-tanned skin, even the same clothes: a grey tee and jeans. The key difference was the boy looked suspicious, while the girl looked excited.

"Hey. Lucio."

"Arach, Mortica." The boy stated bluntly, refusing Lucio's outstretched hand.

"Don't worry, pops, Arach doesn't trust anyone, and they're pretty tired."

"Right. Angela will want to get a look at all of…" Lucio trailed off, noticing Arach's arm was wrapped in cardboard. "Arm's broken?"

"…Yeah." He said hesitantly.

"Angela can help with that. Don't worry: everyone's pretty friendly…most of everyone, anyways." Lucio corrected, remembering Widow and Reaper. He brought everyone into Angela's office. She seemed to recognize Alice immediately, and notice something familiar about the twins.

"Guten tag. Um, Lucio, could you get Gabriel and Jack? And if you can find her, Widow? I'll patch them up." Lucio nodded, locking eyes with Locarno.

"I want this story when I get back."

"Got it, pops." He skidded into Soldier's door, saying through the closed doorway,

"Some kids are here: Alice Morrison, Arach, Mortica, and Locarno!" He heard a chair scrap the floor loudly, but he didn't stay long enough to see them leave the room, back in Angela's office in an instant. She was casting Arach's arm expertly, explaining to the children,

"You are fine, Mortica. It will heal shortly, and it was set correctly, Arach. You are dehydrated: there is water in the fridge, Alice. And it's rare to see someone in such good health physically, Locarno."

"I try." Lucio sat down across from the kids, saying,

"Okay, Locarno. What's the story?" Locarno took a deep breath.

"So, I was kidnapped from Brazil to…New York?"

"Yes." Alice affirmed, taking slow sips of water.

"I managed to get away there, tossing my cell."

"How'd they find you anyways?" Lucio questioned. Locarno shrugged.

"Climbing buddy told them. So, I was trying to stay away from those people. Don't even know what they wanted: all they said was asking me about your cell number. I saw a car with the same license thing, figured it was some other kidnapped person." Alice said, grumbling,

"It was me. Should've known about the circumstance…"

"Well, I got her out: she's not bad at fighting, I'll tell you that. Then she pointed out another car." Arach raised his hand.

"That was sis and me." Alice explained,

"I saw their car at a gas stop: the drivers were talking to each other, so I figured it was connected."

"So we got them out: Arach's arm got broken. I stole a car: I know you told me that's bad, but it was an emergency, and Mortica got us out of New York. Alice knew about a pretty safe area over here, so we started heading this way. She told all of us about Overwatch, and I remembered hearing on the news you joined a resistance group, and the pieces clicked. We've been heading here for…"

"3 months." Soldier and Reaper entered the room, both looking surprised.

"Alice, what are you doing? Where's your mom?"

"Dad, you're alive?!" Reaper didn't say a word, just looking at Arach and Mortica.

"…What?" Arach asked defensively. The wraith turned on his heel and walked away, saying,

"Happy birthday, Arach. Happy birthday, Mortica." The twins stared after him.


End file.
